LAKEAN2STREAM 
GAME  FISHING 


DIXIE   CARROLL 


er 


The  author  and  a  12K>-pound  wall-eyed  pike  caught  in  Black  Lake, 
McNaughton,  Wisconsin.  This  pike- was  caught  on  a  hot  July  day  about 
1130  a.  in.  and  the  lure  used  was  ,.  Heddon's  underwater  Dowagiac 
crackled  green  hack  with  a  white  belly.  The  cast  was  made  across  the 
mouth  of  a  small  hay  and  the  lure  reeled  slowly  in  order  to  allow  it  to 
sink.  The  water  was  of  an  average  depth  of  twenty  feet. 

(From  painting- by  Arthur  Hutchins) 


LAKE  AND  STREAM 
GAME  FISHING 

A  Practical  Book  on  the  Popular  Fresh-  Water 

Game  Fish,  the  Tackle  Necessary  and 

How  to  Use  It 

BY 
DIXIE  CARROLL)^c/, 

Editor  of  the  National  Sportsman  and, 
Fishing  Editor  of  the  Chicago  Herald 
President,  American  Anglers  League 


•  I 
WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

JAMES  KEELEY 
Editor  of  the  Chicago  Herald 

AND  A  FOREWORD  BY 

JACK  LAIT 


VERSE  BY 

ALBERT  JAY  COOK 


CINCINNATI 

STEWART  &  KIDD  COMPANY 

1919 


COPYRIGHT,  1917,  BY 
STEWART  &  KIDD  COMPANY 

All  Rights  Reserved 
COPYRIGHT  IN  ENGLAND 


1st  Printing,  June  1917 
2d  Printing,  August  1919 


(Li* 


TO 
MY  WIFE,  ROSE, 

WHO  IS    EQUALLY    AS    GOOD   A    "PAL1 
ON  WILDERNESS  LAKE,   STREAM  OR 
TRAIL,  AS  ALONG  THE  WELL- 
BEATEN    PATHS    OF 
CIVILIZATION 


M852827 


PREFACE 

In  writing  this  book  of  fish,  fishing,  tackle  and  how 
to  use  it,  as  well  as  incidental  remarks  on  equipment 
it  is  not  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  set  it  up  on  a 
pinnacle  as  a  "  hollier  than  thou  "  book.  Opinions 
on  tackle  and  the  method  of  using  it  are  varied  and 
at  times  wonderful.  There  are  purists  in  every 
angle  of  the  sport  and  by  each  method  of  angling  the 
purist  in  that  particular  line  will  swear  by  the  nine 
gods  and  at  times  swear  at  all  other  methods. 

I  have  never  allied  myself  to  any  one  particular 
part  of  angling.  I  can  have  equally  as  much  enjoy- 
ment from  tossing  the  plug,  live  bait  or  feathery  fly. 
As  long  as  it  is  fishing  in  a  sportsman-like  manner 
with  line,  rod  and  reel  and  playing  the  fish  until  it 
comes  up  to  the  net  or  gaff,  white-side  up,  I  con- 
sider the  game  true  sport  and  worthy  of  just  con- 
sideration. 

As  to  the  methods  of  angling  and  the  handling  of 
tackle  advocated  herein,  they  are  the  methods  that 
I  have  found  to  be  successful  from  actual  experiences 
of  my  own  or  from  the  experiences  of  other  fisher- 
men with  whom  I  have  cast  and  whipped  lake  and 
stream. 

As  to  the  information  on  the  habits  and  peculiari- 
ties of  the  different  game  fish,  this  I  have  accumulated 
since  my  early  fishing  days  passed  on  the  Potomac 


PREFACE 

and  its  tributaries,  and  from  close  association  with 
keen  guides  and  woodsmen  of  the  North  Woods 
country. 

I  feel  that  the  fishing  game  is  on  the  verge  of  be- 
coming the  most  popular  of  out-door's  sports  and  it 
can  be  made  so,  not  only  for  the  present  day,  but  for 
the  years  to  come,  if  the  fishermen  will  follow  the 
creed  of  the  American  Anglers  League  of  which  I 
have  the  honor  of  being  president.  This  creed  fol- 
lows and  I  earnestly  hope  all  fishermen  will  burn  this 
thought  into  their  memory  and  in  time  of  need,  ob- 
serve it. 

OUR  CREED:  to  encourage  the  re-stock- 
ing of  lakes  and  streams;  to  advocate  the 
observing  of  all  fishing  laws;  to  throw  back 
uninjured  the  under-sized  fish;  to  catch 
game  fish  in  a  sportsmanlike  manner  with 
rod,  line  and  reel,  in  order  to  make  the 
sport  of  fishing  better  in  the  years  that  fol- 
low. 

To  the  keen  followers  of  the  call  of  lake  and 
stream  with  whom  I  have  passed  many  pleasant 
hours  and  learned  much,  I  wish  to  express  my  thanks. 
Particularly  to  Earny  Wendt,  Guide  Extraordinary 
of  the  North  Woods ;  to  Albert  Jay  Cook,  sportsman, 
poet  and  apostle  of  the  great  out-doors  whose  verses 
are  used  in  this  book;  to  Robert  Hurt  Moulton, 
fisherman,  journalist  and  photographer  for  a  selec- 


PREFACE 

tion  of  photographs  used  in  this  book;  to  James 
Keeley,  fisherman,  sportsman  and  editor  for  his  loy- 
alty to  the  sport  of  fishing  and  his  mental  storehouse 
of  fishing  lore  from  which  I  have  drawn  many  facts 
as  fishing  editor  of  the  Chicago  Herald  and  for 
writing  the  Introduction  of  this  book;  to  Jack  Lait 
not  a  fisherman  but  a  writer  of  human  interest  stories 
with  a  kick  in  every  line  and  thoughts  between  the 
lines,  for  writing  the  Foreword  of  this  book;  to 
W.  W.  Stehle,  "  Buck  "  to  his  many  out-door  pals, 
fisherman,  hunter  and  soldier,  to  whom  these  chap- 
ters were  originally  written  as  a  series  of  letters  on 
fishing  and  who  preserved  and  returned  them  to  the 
writer  for  revision  and  use  in  this  book. 

If  this  book  makes  the  sport  of  fishing  more  en- 
joyable and  quest  of  the  game  fins  more  successful 
for  the  reader,  then  it  will  have  accomplished  the 
end  for  which  it  was  written. 

If  it  makes  of  the  uninitiated,  a  lover  of  the  great 
out-doors  and  a  follower  of  natures  water  trails 
and  takes  him  out  where  he  can  get  a  close-up  of 
old  Mother  Nature,  then  its  writing  will  be  doubly 
blessed. 


"Timberedge  Lodge,"  (Carroll  Elaine  Cook) 

McNaughton,  Wis. 
October,  1916. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  would-be  teacher  of  the  art  of  angling  must 
ever  be  a  pupil.  Every  day  on  stream  or  lake,  in 
waters  or  in  boat,  is  a  lesson,  and  though  one  ac- 
cumulates the  experience  of  a  quarter  of  a  century 
his  education  is  not  complete  and  never  would  be 
complete  if  he  lived  to  be  as  old  as  the  prehistoric 
fish  we  find  in  neolithic  rock.  Each  cast  may  present 
a  new  problem.  Each  strike  a  situation  for  which 
there  is  no  "  rule  "  or  precedent. 

Experience  is  the  real  teacher  and  to  the  novice 
generally  a  costly  one. 

Nevertheless  there  is  a  field  for  instruction  and 
the  experience  of  an  "  old  timer  "  will  be  of  value 
to  those  who  are  new  to  the  sport  and  even  to  veter- 
ans of  the  rod  whose  range  of  effort  has  been  cir- 
cumscribed. 

If  a  man  has,  year  after  year,  tramped  little-fre- 
quented trails,  and  blazed  new  ones  for  himself;  if 
he  has  sought  out  and  found  the  streams  where  the 
brook  trout  rises  most  readily  to  the  fly,  the  pools 
where  lurk  the  largest  salmon,  the  favorite  haunts 
of  the  bass,  the  wall-eyed  pike  and  the  muskellunge, 
and  if  he  has  matched  his  wits  against  all  of  these 


INTRODUCTION 

under  every  condition  of  weather  and  with  every 
kind  of  lure  and  tackle,  then  he  is  qualified  to  impart 
useful  information  on  the  subject. 

In  the  whole  field  of  sport  there  is,  perhaps,  no 
thrill  comparable  with  that  which  comes  of  doing 
fair  battle  with  a  gamey  fish;  he  is  a  worthy  oppo- 
nent for  any  man,  and  through  all  the  stages  of  the 
contest,  from  the  first  fierce  strike  to  the  final  sweep 
of  the  landing  net,  the  red  blood  surges  and  the 
nerves  tingle  in  wholesome  exhilaration. 

But,  while  victory  is  sweet  to  the  angler,  and 
naturally  is  his  first  aim,  the  mere  catching  of  fish  is 
not  all  of  fishing  by  any  means.  The  true  fisherman 
does  not  measure  his  success  either  by  the  size  or 
number  of  the  fish  he  gets,  and  even  if  he  gets  none 
at  all,  his  days  still  are  full  of  profitable  pleasure. 
To  him  every  minute  in  the  woods  or  on  the  waters 
offers  something  of  interest,  whether  it  be  merely 
watching  the  wild  people  of  the  forest,  the  sunsets 
and  sunrises,  the  starry  map  overhead  at  night,  or 
listening  to  the  call  of  birds,  the  wind  in  the  trees, 
or  the  musical  lap  of  waters. 

Chicago,  February  24,  1917. 

J.  KEELEY. 


FOREWORD 

Dear  Dixie: 

They  tell  me  you're  doing  a  book  on  "  Lake  and 
Stream  Game  Fishing."  Since  I  never  fished  for 
game  in  either  lake  or  stream,  and  since  one  of  the 
best  things  I  do  is  to  write  learnedly  on  that  which  I 
know  nothing  about,  let  me  give  you  a  little  advice : 

In  writing  fishing  stories  one  should  follow  the 
mechanics  of  story-telling,  just  the  same  as  in  writing 
love  stories.  Fish  are  more  human  than  the  people 
about  whom  romances  are  written,  though,  of  course, 
they  fall  down  when  it  comes  to  "  problems  "  or 
"  triangles,"  for  I  never  heard  of  a  scandal  under 
water  except  the  famous  submarine  controversy. 

Look  at  the  latitude  you  have,  though,  on  other 
standard  topics  for  stirring  tales  —  motherhood,  for 
instance.  Motherhood  is  the  most  sure-fire  of  all 
the  subdivisions  in  the  selective  acreage  of  story-stuff. 
And  a  mother-fish,  I  am  told,  has  a  yield  at  each  con- 
ception that  would  stagger  Roosevelt.  Can't  you 
see  the  possibilities  here  for  racking  tales  of  Mrs. 
Fish  and  her  brood  —  or  are  children  of  a  fish  called 
a  "  flock"?  In  either  event,  the  maternal  muskel- 
longe  or  the  parent  bass  or  the  like  holds  forth,  in  my 


FOREWORD 

vision,  fiction  possibilities  on  a  large  and  shiny  scale. 

I  see  that  the  prospectus  announces  "  Not  a  dry 
line  in  the  whole  book."  Of  course  not;  you  can't 
hook  fish-story-readers  with  dry  lines.  Therefore, 
I  pray  you,  get  off  the  conventional  themes  such  as 
how  to  take  the  spear  out  of  the  ribs  of  a  gar  when 
what  you  wanted  was  a  pike,  or  how  to  properly  bait 
with  live  frogs  when  the  guide  forgot  the  pail  of 
frogs  on  the  pier.  What  you  want  to  do,  I  fancy, 
is  to  go  into  the  psychology,  the  sociology,  the  tem- 
perament, the  emotions,  the  heart-throbs,  the  ambi- 
tions, the  disappointments,  the  better  nature  of  the 
fish. 

What  do  we  know  to-day  of  the  mental  progress  of 
the  fish?  Little  if  anything.  Are  we  then  to  pre- 
sume that  the  wily  bass  and  the  ferocious  musky  of 
1917  are  as  benighted  as  the  sucker  of  the  year  of 
the  big  wind?  Is  there,  then,  no  Bryan  of  the  finny 
realm,  no  Mrs.  Pankhurst  of  the  angled  deeps,  no 
wall-eyed  Lloyd-George  and  no  big-mouthed  Ford 
amongst  them? 

The  unwritten  material  is  enormous,  magnificent. 
What  is  the  politics  of  a  pickerel?  What  is  the  re- 
ligion of  a  trout?  What  are  the  morals  of  carp? 
Is  the  conscience  of  an  eel  anything  like  that  of  a 
munitions  maker? 

Speak,  you  who  know  the  sweet  language  of  fish, 
and  do  for  us  a  "  Hiawatha  "  of  the  underlakes,  a 
"  Gunga  Din  "  of  the  river  bed! 


FOREWORD 

Teach  us  not  only  how  to  catch  the  elusive  citizens 
of  the  blue,  but  lead  us  into  communion  with  them  so 
that  we  can  do  more  than  merely  dangle  them  on  a 
hunk  of  string  and  fry  them  in  a  pan.  We  want  to 
civilize  them  and  assimilate  them  so  that  we  can  sell 
them  stock  in  new  moving-picture  companies  and  lead 
them  by  the  flipper  to  walks  of  our  own  making 
where  we  would  unfold  to  them  the  mysteries  of 
how  to  blow  a  safe  or  carry  an  election. 

Before  you  lies  the  chance  of  being  the  uplifter  of 
the  fish.  You  alone  may  play  the  famous  white 
man's  part  in  unfolding  before  the  gullible  children 
of  the  wet  recesses  the  manna  of  the  earth  —  suf- 
frage, booze,  evangelism,  advanced  thinking,  Robert 
W.  Chambers,  five-card  stud,  the  bunny  hug,  nude 
films,  Democratic  victories,  tax-dodging,  taxi-dodg- 
ing —  there's  no  end  to  what  a  fish  doesn't  know  and 
what  we  members  in  good  standing  of  the  order  of 
brotherly  love  are  hep  to. 

Therefore,  I  beseech  you,  Dixie,  do  not  again 
bend  your  superior  talents  to  the  paltry  and  sordid 
pursuit  of  telling  how  to  nab  a  fish  for  breakfast; 
take  your  stylus  well  in  hand  and  write  us  a  guide- 
book on  how  to  teach  a  fish  to  take  a  joke  so  that 
we  may  live  long  and  increase  our  percentage. 

With  every  good  wish,  always, 

Your  friend  the  piscatorial  ignoramus, 

JACK  LAIT. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

BAIT-CASTING  OUTFIT  FOR  THE  BEGINNER     .     .     .  i 

BAIT-CASTING  FOR  THE  BEGINNER 7 

SPLIT-BAMBOO  BAIT-CASTING  RODS 12 

STEEL  BAIT-CASTING  RODS  AND  OTHERS    .     .     .     .  17 

THE  BAIT-CASTING  REEL 21 

SELF-TH UMBERS  vs.  BACKLASHES 26 

THE  LEVEL- WINDING  REEL 31 

BAIT-CASTING  LINES 36 

SPOONS  AND  SPINNERS 40 

WOBBLERS,  WIGGLERS  AND  PLUGS 44 

NIGHT  BAIT-CASTING 49 

ON  THE  HOME-LIFE  OF  THE  BASS 54 

FLY-CASTING  TACKLE  FOR  THE  BEGINNER      .     .     .58 

ON  LEARNING  FLY-CASTING 62 

His  MAJESTY  THE  BROOK  TROUT      .     .     .     .     .67 

RAINBOWS  AND  BROWNS 71 

FLY-CASTING  FOR  BASS 76 

ON  FISHING  THE  DRY-FLY 81 

BASS  IN  THE  RIVERS  AND  STREAMS 86 

COIN'  AFTER  MUSKY 90 

His  HONOR,  THE  WALL-EYED  PIKE 95 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

JUST  ORDINARY  OL'  PICKEREL 100 

A  LITTLE  PAN-FISH  FUN 105 

LIVE  BAIT  —  THE  MINNOW no 

WORMS  AS  BAIT 115 

PORK  RIND  FOR  BAIT 120 

TROLLING        124 

FALL  FISHING 129 

MUSKY,  PIKE  OR  PICKEREL? 133 

TlPS  FROM  THE  GUIDES 138 

HOT  WEATHER  FISHING 143 

LITTLE  POINTS  THAT  COUNT     .     .     .     .     .     .     .148 

WHAT  MAKES  '£M  Do  IT 153 

COMPLETE  RECORD  OF  THE  LANDING  OF  FIFTY  LARGE- 
MOUTH  BASS.     THE  TIME,  THE    WEATHER  AND 

THE  BAIT 157 

COMPLETE  RECORD  OF  THE  LANDING  OF  FIFTY  LARGE 
MUSKALONGE.     THE  TlME,  THE  WEATHER  AND 

THE  BAIT 165 

FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF.     STORIES  OF  BIG  FISH  AS 

TOLD  BY  THEIR  CAPTORS 176 

ONE     HUNDRED     QUESTIONS     AND     ANSWERS     ON 
TACKLE,  FISH  AND  FISHING  .......  204 

POEMS  OF  THE  WATER  TRAILS 236 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Author  and  a  Fine  Wall-eyed  Pike  .      .       Frontispiece 

PAGE 

The  Time  o'  Day  for  Fishing 31 

Large  and  Small-Mouth  Bass 54 

Good  Stream  Bass  Waters 86 

The  Lady  and  the  Musky 90 

Fine  Lake  Bass  Waters no 

Earny  Wendt,  Guide  Extraordinary 138 

Game  Beauties  from  Northern  Wisconsin  .      .      .      .153 

Cozy  Corners  for  Bass 176 

Joys  of  the  Water  Trails 236 


LAKE  AND  STREAM 
GAME  FISHING 

BAIT-CASTING  OUTFIT  FOR  THE 
BEGINNER 

So  you  are  sure  stumped,  Old  Man,  when  it  comes 
to  getting  together  a  bait-casting  outfit.  Been  hit- 
ting her  up  with  the  old  cane  pole  and  any  old  hook 
or  line,  and  getting  the  fish,  but  every  time  you  pass 
a  tackle  layout  in  a  sporting  goods  store,  your  hands 
fairly  itch  to  swing  one  of  those  short  bait-casting 
rods,  and  then  you  sorta  hold  back,  'cause  you  don't 
just  know  what's  really  needed  and  you  sure  don't 
want  to  tip  off  your  hand  to  the  fellow  on  the  "  in- 
side "  that  you  are  shy  on  tackle  dope. 

Slip  this  into  your  card  index:  you  can  get  a  fine 
outfit  together  for  $12  to  $15  that  will  give  you  rat- 
tling good  service  and,  at  that,  be  a  line  of  tackle 
that  you  need  never  be  ashamed  of.  It'll  stand  up 
under  the  hard  knocks  that  you  probably  will  hand  it 
and,  with  a  little  practice,  will  get  you  fish  for  your 
stringer.  At  the  same  time  it  will  make  a  good 
showing  with  any  other  fellow's  tackle,  unless,  of 
course,  he  happens  to  be  a  "  he-whop  "  for  coin  and 
overdoes  the  tackle  stunt. 


2         LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
ROD    EITHER   SPLIT   BAMBOO   OR   STEEL 

For  a  rod  it  can  be  either  split  bamboo  or  steel 
and  between  5  and  5^2  feet  in  length.  In  split  bam- 
boo you  can  get  a  good  one  for  $4  to  $7,  and  for  a 
choice,  medium-priced  rod  there  is  none  better  than 
a  Jim  Heddon's  No.  4,  which  comes  with  an  extra 
tip  and  sets  you  back  $5.  This  rod  should  give  you 
at  least  five  years'  good  service  and  as  it  is  a  two- 
piece  rod,  long  tip  and  short  butt,  it  works  almost 
as  good  as  a  single-piece  one,  which  is  considered 
the  ideal  rod,  but  a  darned  unhandy  one  to  tote 
around.  The  two-piece  rod  is  a  fine  bender,  with- 
out straining  at  the  ferrule,  which  is  below  the  cen- 
ter, well  to  the  butt,  and  is  full  of  snap  and  whip. 
The  price  is  low,  but  the  rod  is  good. 

For  the  rod,  if  you  select  a  steel  one,  you  will 
make  no  mistake  in  getting  a  Bristol  No.  25,  which 
is  sure  some  bait-caster.  The  steel  rod  is  strong 
and  durable  and  this  Bristol  is  just  stiff  enough  to 
make  long  casts  with  precision  and  whippy  enough 
to  make  a  short  cast  with  ease.  The  reel  seat  is 
close  to  the  grip,  which  makes  thumbing  the  reel  less 
tiring.  The  extra  large  guides  and  tip  are  an  aid 
to  casting,  as  the  line  shoots  out  freely  without  much 
friction  on  the  guides.  This  rod  costs  you  $7,  but 
you  will  always  keep  it  in  your  kit,  even  after  you 
go  in  for  the  more  expensive  stuff. 


BAIT-CASTING  OUTFIT  FOR  BEGINNER        3 
REEL   IS   THE    HEAVY   WORKER 

For  a  reel  you  will  want  a  quadruple  multiplying, 
or,  in  other  words,  "  old  boss,"  one  that  makes  four 
revolutions  of  the  core  of  the  reel  to  one  turn  of  the 
handle  —  that's  for  speed  in  giving  you  casting  dis- 
tance and  also  to  retrieve  the  line  quickly  with  the 
smallest  amount  of  hand  work. 

By  far  the  biggest  end  of  the  bait-casting  work 
depends  upon  the  reel,  which  is  the  most  important 
item  in  the  outfit.  The  average  day's  fishing  runs 
about  six  hours  of  continuous  casting,  at  all  of  which 
time  the  reel  is  hard  at  work  playing  out  line  and 
recovering  it.  This  is  a  steady  grind  and  the  reel 
must  be  a  good  one  to  stand  up  under  the  strain. 
This  only  goes  to  show  that  a  poorly  constructed 
reel  will  shortly  throw  up  the  sponge  with  a  few 
wheezy  shrieks,  and  about  that  time,  far  away  from 
a  tackle  outfitter,  you  will  let  out  a  few  choice  cuss 
words  and  give  it  the  Christy  Mathewson  into  the 
weed  beds. 

There  are  many  good  reels  that  you  can  get,  rang- 
ing from  $4  to  $7.50,  and  they  will  all  do  the  work 
and  do  it  well.  The  Meisselbach  "  take-a-part "  is 
a  humdinger  and  creases  your  bank  roll  to  the  ex- 
tent of  $5.50.  I  have  a  "  take-a-part "  in  my  kit, 
been  there  doing  service  for  eight  years  and  is  still 
on  the  job;  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  think  it  has  done 


4        LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

more  casting  than  any  of  my  reels.  It  is  built  right 
and  if  you  just  must  find  out  what  makes  it  go,  you 
can  take  it  apart  without  a  screw  driver  and  put  'er 
together  again  and  know  that  you  cannot  mix  its  "  in- 
nards." For  this  reason  alone  the  inquisitive  fisher- 
man should  have  it,  because  a  reel  can  be  put  out  of 
whack  easier  by  tinkering  than  most  anything. 

The  Shakespeare  Standard  Professional  is  a  clean 
running  reel  and  nicks  you  to  the  tune  of  $6,  but  it's 
worth  it  and  a  good  caster.  The  Milan,  Meek  and 
Talbot  reels  around  the  same  figure  are  very  good 
ones,  and  are  worthy  of  a  place  in  any  tackle  box. 

GOOD-BY   TO   BACK-LASHES 

If  you  are  shy  on  time  to  practice  thumbing  the 
ordinary  reel,  and  you  don't  want  to  bother  with 
"  back-lashes,"  which  happen  more  or  less  to  even 
the  sure-enough  fishermen,  you  can  get  an  antiback- 
lash  reel  and  start  casting  with  practically  no  prac- 
tice. The  South  Bend  Antiback-lash  at  $9.00  and 
the  Pflueger-Redifor  Antiback-lash  at  $7.50  are  both 
good  ones,  and  take  a  lot  of  trouble  off  your  hands. 
For  moonlight  and  night  casting  you  will  find  the 
antiback-lash  a  winner,  and  that  is  the  time  to  hook 
the  big  ones.  It's  mighty  unhandy  to  try  to  untangle 
a  back-lash  by  the  light  of  a  pocket  flash  lamp,  espe- 
cially when  the  bass  are  hopping  up  out  of  the  water 
all  around  you;  sort  of  makes  you  nervous,  and  the 
more  you  untangle  the  worse  it  tangles. 


BAIT-CASTING  OUTFIT  FOR  BEGINNER       5 

For  a  line,  get  a  fifty-yard  spool  of  waterproof 
soft  square  braided  silk  No.  6,  which  runs  freely 
from  the  reel  and  with  the  least  amount  of  friction 
on  the  guides  and  is  easily  thumbed  without  burning. 
A  Kingfisher  line  of  this  kind  will  cost  you  8oc  and 
it  will  not  get  fuzzy  nor  swell  up  when  wet. 

ARTIFICIAL   PLUGS   AND   WOBBLERS 

Of  lures  or  artificial  baits  there  are  legions  and 
they  range  in  price  from  IDC  up.  Some  are  worth 
it  and  some  are  not.  You'll  probably  want  to  buy 
every  one  you  see,  and  try  'em  out.  That's  part  of 
the  game,  but  for  a  starter  the  following  will  make 
a  selection  in  color  and  style  that  ought  to  interest 
any  old  bass  or  other  game  fish :  A  Jamison  Coaxer 
at  5oc;  Heddon's  Crab  Wiggler,  85c;  Tango  Min- 
now, white  with  red  top,  75c;  South  Bend  Bass- 
Oreno,  rainbow  color,  5<Dc;  Wilson  Fluted  Wob- 
bler, green  crackled  back,  75c;  Pflueger-Surprise 
minnow,  white  with  green  back,  j^c.  This  gives 
you  a  collection  of  lures  at  $4.10  that  contains  every 
kind  of  a  wiggle,  wobble,  dive  or  other  movement 
in  the  deck  and  if  you  keep  them  moving  when  in 
the  water,  there  is  no  reason  why  any  high-brow  bass 
won't  strike  them  out  of  pure  inquisitiveness  —  just 
to  see  what  makes  'em  do  it. 

For  your  pork  rind,  frogs  and  live  minnows  you 
will  need  a  few  spinners  and  spoons.  Get  a  Hilde- 
brandt,  single  and  tandem,  Slim  Eli  No.  3,  and  a 


6        LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

couple  of  Skinners  new  casting  spoons  4-x,  bright 
nickel  and  white  enamel  and  a  Foss  Pork  Rind  Min- 
now. These  will  cost  you  around  75c  and  give  you 
enough  variety  for  a  start  at  natural  bait-casting. 

With  a  couple  of  little  odds  and  ends  such  as 
sinkers,  extra  hooks  and  an  oil  can,  you  have  a  bait 
casting  outfit  that  should  help  you  "  bring  home  the 
bacon.'' 


BAIT-CASTING  FOR  THE  BEGINNER 

For  your  practice  work,  or  rather  the  back-yard 
casting,  before  you  try  out  the  real  stuff,  all  you  need 
of  your  bait-casting  tackle  is  your  rod,  which  can  be 
of  steel  or  split  bamboo,  and  either  a  5  or  $y2  footer 
as  you  prefer;  5O-yard  spool  of  waterproof  soft 
square  braided  silk  No.  6  line;  a  quadruple  multi- 
plying reel,  and  a  casting  plug.  For  the  latter  you 
can  detach  the  hooks  from  an  artificial  bait,  and  thus 
avoid  hooking  a  pal  who  may  be  there  to  give  you 
a  send  off,  or  you  can  get  a  practice  casting  weight, 
which  is  a  hookless  minnow  the  same  weight  as  the 
average  plug. 

Joint  your  rod  and  place  the  reel  in  the  reel  seat 
right  above  the  grip,  with  the  reel  on  top  of  the  rod, 
reel  handle  to  the  right.  Run  the  line  through  the 
tip  and  guides,  wind  it  evenly  on  the  reel  and  loop 
on  the  plug  at  the  end. 

At  a  distance  of  say  30  feet  from  the  spot  where 
you  intend  to  stand  while  making  the  cast,  peg  down 
a  small  piece  of  paper,  say  about  eight  inches  square, 
for  a  target.  Imagine  this  is  the  home  of  a  fine 
frisky  bass,  it  adds  to  the  interest  of  the  game. 

CASTING   LIKE   SWITCHING  APPLES 

You  recall  how  you  doted  on  switching  apples  in 

7 


8         LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

the  old  orchard,  when  a  kid.  You'd  push  your 
switch  through  a  nice,  juicy  apple,  swing  it  back 
over  your  shoulder,  sweep  it  forward,  and  away  flew 
the  apple  which  you  hoped  would  land  on  Fatty 
Jones'  skypiece.  Well,  Old  Man,  outside  of  the 
thumbing  of  the  reel,  that's  the  motion  of  bait-cast- 
ing—  just  downright  ordinary  switching  apples. 

You  are  all  ready  now,  so  get  in  the  box,  30  feet 
from  the  target,  and  face  it.  Take  the  rod  in  your 
right  hand,  let  the  plug  hang  down  about  six  inches 
from  the  tip,  the  reel  on  top  with  the  thumb  pressing 
on  the  line  wound  on  the  spool  of  the  reel,  and  the 
fingers  of  course  around  the  grip  of  the  rod.  Before 
bringing  the  rod  back  over  the  shoulder  to  start  the 
cast,  twist  the  wrist  to  the  left  enough  to  bring  the 
top  of  the  reel  towards  your  body,  and  the  spool  of 
the  reel  nearly  vertical.  In  this  position  swing  the 
rod  back  over  the  right  shoulder  until  the  plug  hangs 
on  a  line  with  your  belt.  The  rod  will  then  be  at 
about  a  45  degree  angle  with  the  ground,  and  your 
hand  near  your  right  ear.  This  much  is  for  posi- 
tion, and  the  cast  starts  from  this  point,  differing 
therein  from  fly-casting  which  starts  from  the  first 
upward  sweep. 

KEEP   THUMB    PRESSURE   ON   REEL 

From  this  position  swing  the  rod  forward  with  a 
swift  firm  sweep,  increasing  the  speed  as  the  rod 
swings  forward  —  all  this  time  the  thumb  pressure 


BAIT-CASTING  FOR  THE  BEGINNER         9 

stays  on  the  line  wound  on  the  reel.  As  the  rod 
sweeps  to  a  perpendicular  position,  release  the  thumb 
pressure  —  but  not  entirely  —  and  out  shoots  the 
plug  carrying  the  line  from  the  reel. 

Keep  your  eye  on  the  plug,  although  it's  a  hundred 
to  one  shot  that  you  will  watch  the  reel  instead. 
While  the  plug  is  still  in  the  air  and  just  before  it 
hits  the  ground,  press  the  thumb  down  firmly  on  the 
reel,  which  stops  it  from  revolving.  If  you  fail  to 
do  this,  Old  Man,  the  reel  will  keep  on  turning  from 
its  momentum,  and  having  no  heavy  plug  in  the  air 
to  pull  it  along,  the  line  will  snarl  up  on  the  reel  and 
you  will  be  introduced  to  your  first  "  back-lash,"  with 
which  you  will  become  well  acquainted,  anyway,  as 
you  get  along  in  the  game. 

If  your  plug  did  a  pretty  flight  straight  up  in  the 
air,  you  released  your  thumb  pressure  before  the  rod 
was  perpendicular,  and  if  it  did  a  Brodie  right  down 
into  the  ground  in  front  of  you,  then  you  failed  to 
release  the  thumb  pressure  soon  enough.  Remem- 
ber this  point:  the  thumb  pressure  is  never  entirely 
removed  from  the  line  on  the  reel  and  the  lighter 
pressure  on  the  line  keeps  a  "  pull  "  on  the  bait  and 
prevents  back-lashes — "  Bad  cess  to  'em."  Always 
jam  the  thumb  down  hard  just  before  the  bait  lands, 
stop  the  rod  in  its  sweep  when  it  is  much  higher  than 
the  target,  and  keep  your  eyes  on  the  plug.  Then 
as  it  flies  cut  and  settles,  slowly  lower  the  tip  of  the 
rod,  keeping  the  plug,  line  and  rod  on  a  line  as 


io       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

much  as  possible,  as  it  saves  friction  on  the  guides 
and  makes  your  line  last  longer,  as  well  as  increases 
the  distance  of  your  cast. 

REEL    LINE    IN    SMOOTHLY 

You  have  now  made  your  first  cast,  and  upon  how 
carefully  you  reel  in  your  line  depends  the  success 
or  failure  of  your  next  cast.  Shift  the  rod  to  the 
left  hand,  grasping  it  above  the  reel  and  circling  it 
from  the  underside,  with  the  line  between  the  fore- 
finger and  the  thumb  which  guide  the  line  across  the 
spool  of  the  reel  and  back  again  until  it  is  all  reeled 
in.  Don't  let  it  pile  up  on  the  ends  of  the  spool, 
which  it  has  an  ornery  habit  of  doing,  or  build  up 
into  a  hump  in  the  middle.  If  you  do,  you  can 
check  off  the  next  cast  as  a  dead  one. 

Try  to  reel  it  in  as  level  as  possible.  Of  course 
when  actually  fishing  you  will  always  watch  your 
bait  while  reeling  in  the  line,  especially  when  you 
are  casting  among  lily  pads  and  windfalls,  but  in  the 
practice  work  watch  the  reel.  This  will  save  you 
lots  of  time  and  fish  later.  After  a  little  practice 
you  can  watch  the  plug,  remembering  not  to  slow  up 
the  thumb  and  finger  in  guiding  the  line  smoothly 
onto  the  reel,  or  it  will  pile  up  before  you  know  it 
and  bring  back  your  old  friend,  Mr.  G.  W.  Back- 
Lash,  Esq. 

After  you  have  made  a  few  casts,  Old  Man,  you 
will  begin  to  notice  the  target,  and  how  near  you 


BAIT-CASTING  FOR  THE  BEGINNER       u 

are  coming  to  it.  As  you  develop  accuracy  at  30 
feet,  increase  your  distance  a  few  feet  at  a  time, 
until  you  can  cast  say  60  feet,  which  is  far  enough 
to  cast  for  most  any  fish.  Trying  for  too  much  dis- 
tance at  the  start  has  spoiled  many  a  bait  caster. 


SPLIT-BAMBOO  BAIT-CASTING  RODS 

Without  a  doubt,  Old  Timer,  the  one-piece  rod  is 
the  ideal  bait  caster,  but  when  it  comes  to  toting  it 
around,  it  is  the  unhandiest  article  one  could  find  in 
a  year's  travel.  You  simply  cannot  tote  it  along  on 
a  trip  without  the  haunting  fear  that  someone  will 
assist  you  to  break  it,  but  once  on  the  water  with  a 
little  old  one-piece  split-bamboo  rod,  it  shows  up 
like  four-of-a-kind  after  a  lean  run.  For  the  perma- 
nent fishing  camp  or  the  chap  that  is  lucky  enough 
to  live  right  close  to  good  fishing  waters,  there  is  no 
better  rod  than  the  one-piece.  It  is  full  of  action 
from  the  butt  to  the  tip,  and  is  not  weakened  at  any 
point  by  a  ferrule.  You  can  sure  play  a  scrappy  fish 
to  a  fare-you-well  with  a  one-piece  rod,  and  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  it  is  so  unhandy,  and  for  that 
reason  not  desirable  for  ordinary  use,  more  of  them 
would  be  used  by  the  fishing  gentry. 

TWO-PIECE   ROD  A   DINGER 

For  the  two-piece  rod  there  is  but  one  style  of 
construction  that  should  be  considered,  and  that  is 
the  short  butt  and  long  tip.  A  rod  of  this  kind 
comes  the  nearest  to  having  the  same  amount  of  ac- 
tion and  strength  as  the  one-piece  rod,  as  the  ferrule 
is  set  well  down  below  the  center,  allowing  the  strain 

12 


SPLIT-BAMBOO  BAIT-CASTING  RODS       13 

to  be  distributed  equally  and  giving  the  bamboo  a 
chance  to  spring  without  being  stiffened  by  a  ferrule, 
and  the  action  killed.  This  short-butt,  long-tip  con- 
struction gives  you  a  snappy  rod  that  shoots  out  the 
cast  without  unnecessary  strain  on  the  wrists  and 
arm.  In  selecting  a  rod  of  two-piece  construction, 
side-step  the  rod  with  the  ferrule  directly  in  the 
middle,  the  point  of  greatest  strain  in  landing  a  fish. 

THREE-PIECE    HANDY  TO   CARRY 

The  main  thing  in  favor  of  the  three-piece  rod  is 
the  fact  that  you  can  stick  it  in  a  suitcase  and  carry 
it  without  any  bother.  Every  place  you  put  a  fer- 
rule on  a  rod  kills  that  much  more  resiliency  in  the 
bamboo.  The  ferrule  is  unbendable  and  at  that 
point  comes  the  break  when  the  load  on  the  bamboo 
is  too  severe.  This  is  a  hundred  to  one  shot  and 
you  can  play  it  clean  across  the  board  and  never  take 
a  chance  on  your  money.  Although  serrated  fer- 
rules are  used  in  the  more  expensive  rods,  they  can- 
not eliminate  the  severe  strain  which  generally 
causes  the  rod  to  break  either  right  above  or  below 
the  ferrule.  Even  at  that,  the  three-piece  rod  is 
stronger  than  the  two-piece  rod  when  the  ferrule  on 
the  latter  is  in  the  middle. 

LENGTH   AND   WEIGHT   OF   RODS 

Early  in  the  bait-casting  game  the  rods  were  gen- 
erally made  either  four  or  four  and  a  half  feet  in 


14       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

length,  but  as  the  sport  grew  in  popularity,  they 
stretched  them  up  to  six  and  a  half  feet,  making  all 
stops  between.  It  is  a  matter  of  personal  choice  as 
to  length,  probably  the  most  popular  size  being  the 
five  footer.  This  makes  a  rod  that  has  a  good 
swing  to  it  and  still  carries  enough  backbone  to  hold 
the  big  ones,  and  at  the  same  time  is  long  enough  to 
give  fine  play  in  landing  the  fish.  For  overhead 
casting,  while  sitting  in  a  boat,  the  five-footer  makes 
an  ideal  size,  and  is  about  right  for  distance  casts. 
Split-bamboo  rods  average  about  an  ounce  to  the 
foot,  and  at  that  rate  a  five-footer  would  only  tax 
your  wrists  to  the  tune  of  five  ounces,  which  isn't 
such  a  great  old  load  to  toss  around  during  the  day's 
fishing. 

FITTINGS   FOR  THE   ROD 

The  fittings  of  the  rod  are  an  important  feature  - 
they  not  only  add  to  the  life  of  the  rod  but  also,  if 
of  the  right  kind,  add  to  casting  qualities,  and  every 
little  help  to  lessen  the  effort  and  work  of  casting 
makes  quite  a  difference  in  a  few  hours'  fishing. 
The  ferrules  should  be  of  German  silver  —  they  are 
stronger  and  better  made  than  the  brass  ferrules 
which  are  generally  nickel-plated,  and  many  a  defect 
can  be  hidden  under  a  coating  of  nickel. 

The  selection  of  the  hand  grip,  as  to  style,  lies 
between  the  single  and  the  double  grip.  After  a 
day's  casting  with  the  double  grip  you  will  wonder 


SPLIT-BAMBOO  BAIT-CASTING  RODS       15 

how  you  ever  got  along  without  it.  It  is  far  more 
comfortable  to  fish  with,  the  upper  grip  giving  you 
a  firmer  and  easier  hold  on  the  rod  in  reeling  in  the 
line,  and  at  the  same  time  eliminating  the  cramped 
position  of  the  left  hand.  If  you  have  never  used 
the  double  grip,  Old  Man,  treat  yourself  to  a  good 
thing  and  select  that  style  in  your  next  rod.  In  the 
way  of  material,  the  solid  cork  grip,  which  is  really 
made  of  a  series  of  cork  washers,  makes  the  finest 
grip  in  the  game  and  it  sure  has  a  soft  feel  to  the 
hand.  As  a  second  choice  the  canewound  grip  is 
alright,  but  why  take  a  second  choice  when  you  can 
get  the  real  stuff? 

Of  course  you  will  want  a  locking  reel  seat;  the 
majority  of  rods  have  them  anyway  and  who  wants 
to  throw  his  reel  into  the  drink  right  at  the  time 
when  he  has  a  chance  to  hook  the  big  one?  Finger- 
pulls  are  going  a  little  into  the  discard,  but  it  is  no 
disgrace  to  have  one  on  your  rod,  and  at  that  it 
assists  the  short-fingered  caster  to  maintain  better 
control  over  his  casts.  If  you  feel  that  you  will 
have  better  control  over  your  rod  with  the  finger 
pull,  get  it  —  you're  the  fellow  to  suit,  not  the  in- 
nocent bystander. 

In  the  matter  of  guides,  the  agates  have  it  on  the 
rest  of  the  family.  Of  course,  the  ideal  rod  has  a 
complete  set  of  narrow  agate  guides  with  an  offset 
agate  tip,  but  with  the  first  guide  gate  and  the  tip 
of  the  same  material,  with  the  in-between  guides  of 


16       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

a  medium-sized  hard  German  silver  ring,  you  have 
a  combination  that  will  stand  up  well,  cause  little  or 
no  friction  on  your  line  and  give  increased  ease  in 
casting,  which  are  the  main  duties  of  a  well-regulated 
bunch  of  guides.  Way  back  in  the  early  days  of  the 
short-bait  casting  rod  the  guides  were  all  of  the  old 
Kalamazoo  style,  a  great  big  guide  about  the  size  of 
a  two-bit  piece.  Some  of  them  are  still  floating 
around.  If  you  ever  see  one  making  for  you  in  a 
sporting  goods  store,  give  him  both  barrels  and  duck 
for  the  timber  line,  'cause  they  sure  are  no  account, 
and  who  wants  to  tote  something  that  nobody  else 
cares  a  rap  about? 


STEEL  BAIT-CASTING  RODS  AND 
OTHERS 

Well,  Old  Scout,  we  now  come  to  that  part  of  the 
tackle  outfit  that  has  caused  more  argument  than  the 
European  war,  by  which  we  refer  to  the  steel  rod 
vs.  the  split-bamboo.  There  are  a  lot  of  anglers 
that  swear  by  the  split-bamboo  rod  and  look  with 
horror  on  the  steel  rod.  These  split-bamboo  purists 
are  considerably  in  the  minority,  however,  as  can  be 
easily  proven  by  a  straw  vote  of  the  rods  in  use  at 
any  camp  or  resort  in  the  game-fishing  country. 
Personally,  Old  Man,  I  believe  that  when  it  comes  to 
downright  class  to  a  rod,  you  must  place  the  blue 
ribbon  on  the  split-bamboo.  It  is  first  choice  of 
materials,  being  light,  springy  and  considerably  ac- 
tive, although  in  the  hands  of  a  beginner  it  sure 
stands  a  mighty  fine  chance  of  breaking  if  he  hooks 
onto  a  real  live  wire  of  the  weedy  waters.  For 
downright  every-day  sort  of  fishing,  in  among  the 
weeds  and  windfalls  and  for  general  plug  casting  the 
steel  rod  takes  no  back  seat  with  the  split-bamboo 
or  solid  woods.  With  the  steel  rod  the  beginner 
need  have  no  fear  that  it  will  break  if  he  gives  it  a 
little  care  and  attention  in  the  handling. 

17 


1 8       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

STEEL   A    STURDY   WORKER 

The  steel  rod  naturally  is  a  little  heavier  than  the 
split-bamboo,  although  the  slight  difference  in  weight 
is  not  enough  to  put  your  arm  in  a  sling  after  a 
day's  casting.  It  has  plenty  of  backbone  and  at  the 
same  time  enough  action  to  make  it  a  fine  caster 
without  the  whippiness  of  the  split-bamboo.  For 
tossing  out  the  heavier  artificial  lures  it  is  in  a  class 
by  itself.  It  is  a  sturdy  strong  rod  that  can  be  de- 
pended on  to  "  pump  "  a  fighting  bass  out  of  the 
weeds  without  giving  you  heart  failure  over  wonder- 
ing whether  it  will  hold  or  not.  By  this,  Old  Man, 
don't  take  it  that  it  is  only  a  good  rod  for  rough 
work;  handled  with  the  skill  of  an  expert  it  makes 
as  fine  a  fishing  tool  as  any  rod.  It  may  not  be  as 
speedy  in  action  as  the  split-bamboo,  but  as  a  buying 
proposition  for  the  beginner,  dollar  for  dollar,  you 
will  get  a  better  rod  in  steel  in  the  lower-priced  rods 
than  you  will  in  either  the  split-bamboo  or  solid 
woods. 

ALWAYS   READY   FOR   USE 

The  steel  rod  does  not  require  much  care,  being 
a  husky  tool,  and  about  all  that  is  necessary  to  keep 
it  in  first-class  shape  is  to  wipe  it  dry  after  using, 
and  oil  it  occasionally  with  "  three-in-one  "  in  order 
to  avoid  rust.  It  is  always  ready  for  use  and  you 
never  have  to  bother  with  frayed  windings,  cracked 


STEEL  BAIT-CASTING  RODS        ,       19 

varnish  or  warped  joints.  You  will  never  make  a 
mistake  if  you  include  a  steel  rod  in  your  kit;  in  fact, 
if  you  are  going  into  the  woods  far  from  your  tackle 
supply,  as  a  "  safety  first  "  tote  a  steel  bait-caster. 
The  general  construction  of  the  steel  rod  is  three- 
piece  with  short  handle,  and  the  fact  that  the  fer- 
rules, which  are  merely  a  band  of  bronze,  are  built 
right  into  the  rod,  overcomes  the  weakness  of  the 
three-piece  split-bamboo.  It  is  the  most  satisfactory 
rod  of  the  three-piece  construction.  There  is  one 
little  old  veteran  steel  rod  up  in  the  North  woods 
that  started  its  bait-casting  life  as  a  five-footer  some 
six  years  ago.  A  number  of  breaks  and  accidents 
have  reduced  it  to  a  trifle  below  four  feet.  The 
guides  have  been  resoldered  a  number  of  times,  the 
enamel  has  passed  away,  yet  this  old  pal  of  a  rod 
made  a  31  y2 -pound  musky  come  up  to  the  gaff,  with- 
out a  quiver  in  its  short  length,  and  at  that  it's  still 
good  for  many  a  cast.  Wonderful  strides  have  been 
made  in  the  steel-rod  end  of  the  game,  and  it's  here 
to  stay,  as  is  shown  by  its  popularity  on  the  fishing 
waters  anywhere,  and  if  you  get  a  good  one  you  can 
feel  sure  that  it  will  be  there  with  the  goods  when 
you  hook  your  big  one,  excellent  for  learning  the 
game,  and,  in  fact,  a  fine  rod  for  any  time.  They 
can  be  had  in  any  style  and  length,  the  better  rods 
being  made  with  solid  cork  grips,  three  piece  and 
separate  butt.  Agate  first  guide  and  tip,  with  Ger- 
man silver  or  hardened  steel  intermediate  guides 


20      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

make  a  rod  that  works  well  with  the  soft  braided 
silk  casting  lines. 

SOLID   WOOD  RODS 

Of  the  solid  woods  for  bait-casting  rods  noibwood 
takes  first  place.  It  is  a  wonderful  resilient  wood, 
and  at  the  same  time  tough  and  strong.  It  makes 
a  mighty  fine  rod,  but  for  the  average  fisherman  the 
price  is  so  high  that  it's  on  the  top  shelf  just  out  of 
reach.  But  if  you  ever  get  to  the  point  where  you 
want  to  squander  a  nice  price  on  a  solid  wood  rod 
that  is  par  excellence,  get  one  of  noibwood. 

Bethabara  is  a  more  commonly  known  material  of 
the  solid-wood  family,  and  for  $10  you  can  get  a 
fine  rod  of  this  wood  that  will  make  a  handsome  ap- 
pearance and  give  you  a  caster  that  will  more  than 
satisfy  you.  The  bethabara  rod  is  a  livelier  caster; 
it  is  tough  enough  to  stand  hard  handling,  although 
careless  use  may  warp  it. 

A  close  second  in  casting  power,  strength  and  re- 
siliency comes  greenheart,  and  as  this  wood  is  far 
lighter  than  bethabara,  the  rods  made  of  it  are  con- 
siderably thicker  than  those  of  bethabara  and  yet 
not  any  heavier.  Good  greenheart  rods  can  be 
bought  for  $6  and  up. 

Of  the  solid  woods,  lance-wood  is  by  far  the 
cheapest  and  some  years  ago  had  quite  a  following, 
but  you  will  see  few  in  use  to-day.  It  has  a  tendency 
to  warp  under  a  strain,  and  even  atmospheric  changes 
will  have  a  noticeable  effect  upon  it. 


THE  BAIT-CASTING  REEL 

There  is  one  part  of  your  bait-casting  outfit  that 
sure  must  be  right  in  material  and  workmanship,  Old 
Scout,  or  you  might  as  well  make  up  your  mind  that 
your  bait-casting  days  will  be  a  grand  old  series  of 
backlashes  and  cuss  words,  and  that  little  old  im- 
portant feature  is  your  reel.  You  can  slip  a  set  of 
guides  on  a  cane  or  any  old  stick  and  with  a  good 
free-running  reel  make  a  cast,  but  without  a  reel  that 
runs  smooth  and  even,  your  bait  casting  will  be  one 
darrted  bit  of  trouble  after  another,  and  to  save  your 
standing  in  the  home  burg  you'll  go  back  to  still  fish- 
ing and  lead  a  peaceful,  quiet  life.  When  you  figure 
the  amount  of  work  the  reel  performs  in  a  single 
day's  casting,  taking  an  average  of  six  hours  for 
actual  casting,  you  get  some  idea  of  the  heavy  tax 
placed  on  the  bearings  and  gears  as  it  sticks  to  the 
job  of  shooting  out  the  line  at  a  high  speed  and  re- 
trieving it.  A  slipshod,  poorly  constructed  reel, 
carelessly  thrown  together,  will  cough  up  its  gears 
after  an  hour  or  so,  and  it's  good  night  to  your 
fishing  trip. 

THE    QUADRUPLE    MULTIPLIER 

The  quadruple  multiplying  reel  and  the  short  rod 
have  put  bait  casting  in  the  past  few  years  in  first 

21 


22       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

place  as  the  most  popular  method  of  fishing,  because 
it  is  easy  to  learn  and  generally  gets  the  fish.  There 
is  nothing  mysterious  about  the  q-m;  it  simply  means 
that  the  gears  are  toothed  to  make  four  revolutions 
of  the  spool  of  the  reel  to  one  revolution  of  the 
handle.  This  increases  the  speed  of  recovering  the 
line  with  the  least  amount  of  hand  work.  In  shape 
the  reel  should  be  of  the  long,  low  spool  design,  the 
ordinary  6o-yard  reel  having  end  plates  of  2  inches 
in  diameter  and  the  8o-yard  reel  2*4  inches.  A  reel 
of  this  size  is  plenty  large  enough  for  any  bait  cast- 
ing and  the  long,  low  spool  design  aids  in  the  thumb- 
ing of  the  line. 

When  selecting  a  reel  you  will  make  no  mistake 
in  choosing  one  made  of  German  silver,  which  is  by 
all  odds  the  best  material  used  in  the  construction 
of  bait-casting  reels.  A  reel  made  of  German  silver, 
with  all  pinions,  bearings  and  working  parts  of  fine 
tempered  steel  is  a  piece  of  machinery  that  will  stand 
up  under  any  conditions.  No  matter  if  the  reel  be 
one  of  the  low-priced  ones,  if  there  is  a  square 
manufacturer's  name  behind  it,  and  it  is  made  on 
the  above  specifications  and  given  the  care  and  at- 
tention it  should  have,  it  will  last  indefinitely.  After 
one  has  learned  bait  casting  and  knows  how  to  treat 
the  reel  and  desires  something  with  a  classy  look, 
include  in  your  kit  one  of  the  combination  rubber 
head  and  tail  plates  and  German  silver  reels.  This 
reel,  however,  requires  careful  handling  as  the  rubber 


THE  BAIT-CASTING  REEL  23 

is  fragile,  but  it  sure  looks  the  part  of  the  aristo- 
crat. 

JEWELED   BEARINGS   ARE    FINE 

Without  a  doubt  jeweled  bearings  on  the  reel 
make  it  run  more  smoothly  and  add  to  its  life. 
The  lengthened  life  of  a  reel  due  to  the  fact  that  it 
is  jeweled  more  than  overbalances  the  added  cost 
over  the  ordinary  kind.  As  a  general  thing  the 
jewels  are  set  in  removable  caps  at  the  end  of  the 
bearings  which  makes  it  easy  to  keep  them  clean  and 
oiled.  Of  course  the  jeweled  reel  nicks  you  deeper 
in  the  bank  roll,  but  after  a  fellow  has  put  in  practice 
work  on  the  lower-priced  reels  and  feels  like  invest- 
ing in  one  that  will  last  forever,  if  handled  right, 
then  the  jeweled  reel  is  the  only  one  to  buy.  Right 
down  to  cases,  as  it  were,  the  jeweled  reel  is  one  that 
acts  best  in  the  hands  of  the  angler  who  knows  how 
to  handle  it.  It  spins  with  such  freedom  and  speed 
that  it  is  conducive  to  backlashes  with  the  beginner, 
who  has  not  the  thumb  work  to  control  it. 

CARE    OF   THE    REEL 

The  life  of  any  reel  will  be  mighty  short  if  it  is 
not  given  care  and  attention.  The  finest  machine  in 
the  world  will  not  run  without  oil,  yet  many  fellows 
will  use  a  reel  week  after  week,  and  not  think  of 
feeding  it  a  little  soothing  sirup  until  it  begins  to 
scrape  and  rattle  like  the  5:15.  When  this  stage  is 


24       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

reached  they  will  drop  a  little  oil  in  the  cups,  but 
the  damage  is  done  through  overheated  bearings  and 
pinions,  and  the  reel  will  never  again  run  with  the 
freedom  from  friction  and  as  smoothly  as  before  the 
rough  grind  was  handed  it. 

A  reel  should  be  cleaned  and  oiled  after  each  day's 
fishing.  The  ordinary  thin  oil  is  not  sufficient,  as  no 
thin  oil  will  last  through  the  different  temperatures 
to  which  a  reel  is  subjected  during  a  day's  casting. 
Heated  by  the  hot  sun  or  chilled  by  the  night  air,  as 
well  as  drenched  with  water  during  the  day  makes  a 
combination  that  would  eliminate  any  thin  oil.  On 
the  other  hand  the  thick  oils  soon  churn  into  a 
creamy  paste  and  hamper  and  clog  the  reel  so  that 
you  think  you  are  losing  your  speed  at  the  game  when 
your  casts  slow  up.  You  make  no  mistake  when 
you  invest  in  a  bottle  of  "  real  "  reel  oil  and  the  best 
comes  from  the  jawbones  and  lubber  of  the  por- 
poise. This  oil  is  refined  up  in  the  Arctic  circle  and 
will  stand  the  gaff  of  any  temperature.  After  you 
buy  the  oil,  use  it;  don't  stand  it  away  in  the  tackle 
cabinet  and  forget  it. 

Oiling  the  reel  is  not  all  that  is  necessary  to  keep 
the  little  old  pleasure  producer  in  good  shape.  Like 
the  line,  the  reel  should  be  entirely  dried  after  each 
day's  fishing.  Athough  German  silver  does  not  rust, 
it  will  corrode  and  the  main  cause  for  corroding  is 
dampness.  Be  fair  to  the  reel  and  dry  it  thoroughly 
in  the  open  air  or  sunlight,  and  drop  a  little  oil  in 


THE  BAIT-CASTING  REEL  25 

each  oil  cup  before  you  tuck  it  away  for  the  night. 
As  a  final  tip  on  the  reel,  Old  Man,  here's  hopin' 
you  don't  take  it  apart  every  once  in  a  while  to  see 
what  makes  it  go.  The  smooth-running  qualities  of 
many  a  fine  reel  have  been  ruined  by  the  inquisitive 
cuss  with  the  itching  palm  and  a  screw  driver.  Of 
course  you  would  never  think  of  taking  your  watch 
apart  and  assembling  it  again,  and  a  finely  adjusted 
reel  is  just  as  accurately  set  as  a  fine  watch.  If  any- 
thing goes  bad  with  the  reel,  take  it  down  to  a  reel 
doctor  and  let  him  feel  its  pulse.  This  will  save  you 
time  and  money  and  for  practice  at  mechanics  you 
can  have  as  much  fun  tinkering  with  an  old  alarm 
clock  as  a  victim. 


SELF-THUMBERS  VS.  BACKLASHES 

There  has  been  quite  a  bit  of  hectic  comedy  pulled 
off  regarding  the  self-thumbing,  or  more  commonly 
called  antibacklash  reels,  some  of  the  writers  of  fish- 
ing dope  going  right  up  into  the  clouds  at  the  mere 
mention  of  a  self-thumber,  all  for  the  simple  reason 
that  they  think  it  is  unsportsmanlike  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  little  fishes  by  using  a  mechanical 
device  which  makes  casting  easier.  A  big  part  of 
this  highbrow  stuff  is  bunk.  We  admit  that  there  is 
a  lot  of  pleasure  to  be  derived  from  artistically 
thumbing  the  line,  and  for  the  fellow  who  has  the 
time  to  devote  to  learning  thumbing  (and  it  cannot 
be  picked  up  in  a  day)  we  say  go  to  it,  Old  Man, 
and  you'll  enjoy  it.  But  to  the  great  big  army  of 
every-once-in-a-while  fishermen,  who  plug  away  on 
the  real  job  most  of  the  time  to  keep  the  wolf  from 
getting  too  well  acquainted,  there  is  nothing  bet- 
ter than  the  self-thumber.  You  can  learn  to  cast 
with  a  half  hour's  practice.  Of  course  you  won't 
be  an  expert  at  placing  your  bait,  but  you  have  the 
great  advantage  of  the  thumbing  attended  to,  and 
that's  nine-tenths  of  the  operation  of  making  the 
cast. 

26 


SELF-THUMBERS  VS.  BACKLASHES         27 
MORE    POPULAR    EVERY   DAY 

The  fact  that  you  see  more  of  these  reels  each 
year  shows  that  they  are  popular  with  the  week-end 
fisherman.  No  matter  how  proficient  a  fellow  may 
be  in  the  casting  game,  every  now  and  then  he  piles 
up  a  backlash  that  makes  the  air  assume  a  beautiful 
purple  from  the  deep  muttered  words  that  escape 
through  his  exhaust.  After  a  couple  of  hours'  prac- 
tice the  beginner  can  cast  his  30  or  40  feet  with 
less  backlashes  than  can  the  old-timer  at  the  game, 
using  the  ordinary  reel.  If  the  beginner  be  a  par- 
ticularly careful  man,  backlashes  will  be  almost  en- 
tirely eliminated. 

For  moonlight  fishing  or  any  night  fishing,  the 
antiback-lash  reel  holds  the  center  of  the  stage.  At 
this  game  you  cannot  beat  it,  and  as  many  of  the 
largest  old  bass  are  caught  late  in  the  evening  or  at 
night,  even  the  Old  Timer  should  carry  one  tucked 
away  in  his  tackle  box  for  this  kind  of  work.  I 
know  of  nothing  more  conducive  to  the  flow  of  cuss 
words  than  to  get  a  backlash  on  a  dark  night  and 
then  try  to  disentangle  it  with  the  aid  of  a  pocket 
flashlight  unless  it  be  that  you  have  a  fine  old  bass 
flopping  aground  in  the  water  at  the  other  end  of 
your  line  while  you  are  working  out  the  puzzle. 

There  are  two  mighty  good  self-thumbers  on  the 
market,  the  South  Bend  Antiback-lash  and  the  Pflue- 
ger-Redifor  Antiback-lash.  Both  of  these  reels 


28       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

are  well  made  on  the  lines  of  the  other  famous 
quadruples,  with,  of  course,  the  added  value  of  being 
a  great  little  help  to  the  beginner  because  they  put 
the  death  sign  on  the  backlashes. 

The  South  Bend  nicks  your  bank  roll  to  the  tune 
of  $9.  This  is  a  well-made  reel  of  high  polished 
German  silver.  The  spool  and  gear  journals  are  of 
tool  steel  and  built  on  the  long  low  design  considered 
the  best  for  bait  casting.  The  bushings  are  of 
phosphor  bronze  and  the  end-thrust  is  supported  by 
adjustable  jeweled  spool  journal  caps  that  are  handy 
for  oiling.  The  gears  are  made  of  solid  Tobin 
bronze,  are  cut  a  special  hunting  tooth,  and  they 
should  wear  until  the  cows  come  home. 

SELF-THUMBER   OR   STRAIGHT    CASTER 

On  the  South  Bend  Antiback-lash  reel  there  is  a 
small  wire  across  the  front  of  the  reel  under  which 
the  line  is  threaded.  When  the  cast  is  made  this 
wire  is  lifted  by  the  position  of  the  rod  and  as  the 
line  works  out,  and  the  lure  slows  up,  the  weight  of 
the  wire  causes  the  necessary  pressure  on  the  spool 
to  slow  it  up  the  same  as  natural  thumbing  of  the 
line.  On  the  crank  side  of  the  reel  is  a  tension  screw 
that  can  be  adjusted  with  a  slight  turn  to 'accom- 
modate any  weight  of  lures.  By  turning  the  tension 
screw  a  little  farther  you  can  use  the  reel  as  an 
ordinary  caster  and  at  that  it  will  show  up  with  any 
in  its  class. 


SELF-THUMBERS  VS.  BACKLASHES         29 

The  Pflueger-Redifor  Antiback-lash  reel  is  sure  a 
beautiful  tool,  and  besides  having  the  looks  of  a 
thoroughbred  it  is  serviceable  and  durable,  having 
a  bunch  of  ancestors  behind  it  in  the  reel  family  that 
it  can  be  proud  of.  The  great  old  feature  that 
makes  this  reel  so  successful  as  a  self-thumber  are 
the  Flegel  centrifugal  thumbers.  To  look  at  this 
reel  you  will  see  nothing  to  indicate  that  it  is  a  self- 
thumber,  but  hidden  away  under  the  end  plates  are 
a  pair  of  little  flanges  attached  to  the  rear  end  of 
the  spool.  The  force  of  the  spinning  spool  throws 
these  flanges  against  the  rim  of  the  end  plates  and 
governs  the  action  of  the  spool  automatically.  This 
sounds  mighty  simple,  but  you  haVe  to  see  the  reel 
working  to  appreciate  its  wonderful  value. 

SPIRAL  TOOTH  GEARS  GREAT  CASTERS 

In  finish  the  Pflueger-Redifor  is  made  of  German 
silver  with  adjustable  jeweled  oil  cup.  Bearings  are 
of  phosphor  bronze,  which  are  practically  indestruc- 
tible, and  with  generated  spiral  tooth  gears  that  give 
the  easy-running  action  to  a  reel  and  fit  snug  at  all 
times  without  slowing  up  the  works. 

Aside  from  the  fact  that  the  Pflueger-Redifor  is 
a  sure-fire  self-thumber,  it  is  made  along  the  lines  of 
the  regular  quadruple  multiplier  and  its  satin  finish 
gives  it  a  classy  appearance.  At  the  same  time  the 
dull  finish  does  not  flash  over  the  water  when  making 
a  cast.  The  spool  is  long  and  carries  from  60  to 


30       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

100  yards   of  line,    according  to   size.     This   reel 
stands  you  back  $7.50. 

The  self-thumber  is  a  mighty  fine  reel  for  the  be- 
ginner, especially  for  the  fellow  who  has  limited 
time  to  devote  to  the  finest  of  sports,  and  as  a  side 
tip,  let  me  tell  you  that  it  often  makes  a  good  fisher- 
man out  of  the  lady-who-sometimes-goes-along,  be- 
cause she  can  cast  with  ease  after  a  few  throwouts. 


The  time  o'  day  when  fishing  is  usually  at  its  best.  As  the  sun  is 
about  to  kiss  the  day  good-night,  and  slip  into  its  bed  below  the  horizon, 
just  paddle  around  to  the  shadow  side  of  the  lake  and  cast  into  the  dark- 
ened shore  waters  among  the  windfalls  and  weed-beds.  A  little  ruffle 
to  the  water  makes  your  chances  of  interesting  the  game  fins  better  than 
a  still  quiet  surface. 


THE  LEVEL-WINDING  REEL 

Getting  down  to  the  secret  of  the  cause  of  back- 
lashes, Old  Scout,  you  will  find  that  thumbing  the  reel 
improperly  is  a  secondary  fault  and  that  the  real  rea- 
son for  those  little  mixed-up  jumbles  of  line  is  that 
the  line  has  been  spooled  in  poor  shape  after  making 
the  preceding  cast.  Even  spooling  of  the  line  is  the 
best  insurance  against  backlashes.  At  the  same  time 
it  is  to  some  fishermen  a  mighty  tiring  game,  and 
many  a  fervent  prayer  has  been  uttered  by  the  finger- 
weary  bait-tosser  for  a  level-winding  reel. 

To  the  fellow  who  has  never  enjoyed  the  pleasure 
of  a  backlash,  and  to  the  expert  who  never  gets  'em, 
the  following  system  will  be  found  a  sure  producer  of 
a  backlash  that  will  make  a  Chinese  puzzle  look  like 
a  straight  line.  Just  in  an  offhand  sort  of  way  reel 
in  your  line  without  noticing  it,  let  it  pile  up  on  the 
spool  until  it  humps  in  the  center  and  clings  lovingly 
to  one  of  the  end  plates,  then  make  your  cast,  and  we 
guarantee  a  beautiful,  classy  backlash  that  will  pro- 
duce more  cuss  words  to  the  square  inch  than  any 
other  part  of  the  fishing  game.  Now  that  you  have 
at  last  experienced  a  backlash,  common  to  us  ordi- 
nary bait-tossers,  it  is  easy  to  realize  just  what  the 
level-winding  reel  eliminates  in  the  sport  of  casting. 

31 


32       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
WATCH   THE    LURE 

Another  advantage  of  the  level-winder  is  that, 
with  its  use  you  can  give  undivided  attention  to  your 
lure  and  the  playing  of  a  fish.  During  the  excite- 
ment of  the  strike  and  play  a  fellow  likes  to  keep 
his  eye  on  the  old  "  he-wop  "  tugging  for  liberty 
and  it's  a  good  bet  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  little 
attention  is  paid  to  the  level  spooling  of  the  line. 

Unless  the  line  is  spooled  evenly  no  amount  of 
skill  in  thumbing  the  outgoing  line  will  entirely  avoid 
backlashes,  and  even  the  fisherman  who  enjoys  the 
pleasure  of  thumbing  the  line  and  does  not  care  to 
use  a  mechanical  assistant  as  a  helper  will  find  the 
level-winding  reel  a  mighty  handy  tool  to  make  his 
casting  days  more  delightful.  One  will  often  hear 
a  class  of  fishermen  explode  with  an  awful  roar  when 
any  fishing  tool  having  an  improvement  to  eliminate 
some  of  the  so-called  "  art  "  of  angling  is  mentioned. 
This  bunk,  however,  must  be  taken  with  a  few  of 
the  proverbial  grains  of  salt  and  the  fisherman  who 
wishes  to  pass  up  the  most  tiring  part  of  fishing, 
spooling  the  line,  need  look  no  farther  than  the  level- 
winding  reel.  And  when  you  take  a  flier  at  the  fall 
fishing,  with  the  water  fairly  cold,  it  sure  makes  a 
hit  with  even  the  ultrapurist. 

THE    ORIGINAL    LEVEL-WINDER 

The  original  level-winder  is  the  Shakespeare. 
This  reel  is  the  product  of  the  gray  matter  of 


THE  LEVEL-WINDING  REEL  33 

William  Shakespeare,  Jr.,  an  angler  and  sportsman 
who  worked  a  number  of  years  in  perfecting  this 
little  old  drudgery-killer  in  the  greatest  of  sports. 
The  earlier  Shakespeare  level-winders  were  fitted 
with  a  line  guide  which  traveled  back  and  forth 
across  the  front  of  the  reel  on  a  double  propelling 
screw,  while  later  ones  have  but  a  single  endless 
screw  bar  along  which  the  line  guide  travels.  The 
line  guide  is  driven  by  a  gear  which  meshes  with  the 
endless  screw  pinion  and  every  time  the  reel  handle 
makes  a  turn  the  guide  continues  on  its  way  and  lays 
the  line  as  accurately  and  evenly  as  thread  on  a  new- 
wound  spool.  This  line  guide  is  not  an  attachment, 
but  is  built  solidly  into  the  reel;  in  fact,  is  part  of  the 
frame  itself.  There  are  no  little  "  thingamajigs  " 
to  get  out  of  order  and  the  movement  of  the  line 
guide  in  no  way  interferes  with  the  casting  distance; 
in  fact,  it  increases  accuracy  in  the  cast,  as  one  can 
give  close  attention  to  the  lure,  as  the  smoothly 
spooled  line  travels  evenly  off  the  reel. 

The  Shakespeare  level-winding  reel  sets  you  back 
from  $7.50  to  $35,  according  to  the  weight  of  your 
bank  roll,  and  any  one  of  the  outfit  will  make  an 
addition  to  the  tackle-box  that  will  banish  tired 
fingers  from  the  off  front  paw.  As  the  main  point 
of  golf  seems  to  be  "  keep  your  eye  on  the  ball," 
with  a  level-winder  you  can  make  your  slogan  "  keep 
your  eye  on  the  fish  "  on  the  far  end  of  the  line, 
and  so  increase  your  chances  of  landing  him. 


34       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
FLEGEL    FATHERS   A   DINGER 

Of  course,  Old  Man,  you  have  heard  of  the 
"  Beetzel,"  that  little  old  self-thumber,  level-winder, 
free  spool  wonder  that  does  everything  but  spit  on 
the  bait.  This  reel  is  the  combined  effort  of  George 
Upton,  of  Warren,  Ohio,  and  Ben  Flegel,  the  father 
of  those  little  Flegel  thumber  flanges  which  make 
the  Redifor-Pflueger  an  antibacklasher.  In  the 
Beetzel,  Flegel,  known  from  coast  to  coast  as  a  won- 
derful and  skillful  caster,  has  added  a  little  twist  to 
the  centrifugal  thumbers  that  stop  the  spool  of  the 
reel  as  soon  as  the  bait  stops.  The  line  carrier  on 
this  reel  travels  back  and  forth  on  a  worm  gear,  the 
top  of  the  carrier  being  notched.  The  line  is  not 
held  in  restraint  when  casting,  as  the  carrier  drops 
out  of  position  when  the  cast  is  made  and  is  picked 
up  by  the  carrier  when  reeled  in. 

In  the  free  spool  end  of  the  reel  there  are  no 
levers  or  plugs  to  manipulate;  you  simply  give  the 
reel  handle  about  one-eighth  of  a  turn  backward  and 
there  is  no  drag  on  the  line  except  the  spool  itself. 
The  main  gear  and  pinion  are  in  mesh  at  all  times, 
whether  the  spool  is  in  gear  or  not.  This  is  due  to 
the  make  of  the  pinion  gear  which  slides  up  and 
down  on  the  spool  journal  shaft  and  you  avoid  all 
chances  of  stripping  the  gears,  as  will  happen  on 
some  free-spoolers  when  the  gears  are  suddenly 
thrown  in  and  out  of  mesh.  The  reel  is  exception- 


THE  LEVEL-WINDING  REEL  35 

ally  strong  and  durable  and  built  on  the  old-line 
pattern  of  famous  quadruple-multipliers,  low-spool 
design. 

The  Beetzel  shrinks  your  bank  roll  to  the  tune  of 
$20,  but  it  does  so  many  things  a  fellow  never 
thought  could  be  crowded  into  one  little  old  reel,  that 
it  doesn't  seem  so  awful  much  after  you  have  worked 
It  out  on  a  day's  fishing. 


BAIT-CASTING  LINES 

Many  a  fish,  Old  Scout,  has  been  lost  on  the  first 
three  feet  of  the  line,  not  on  account  of  the  weakness 
of  the  entire  line,  or  poor  quality,  but  solely  from 
the  wear  and  fraying  on  the  end  of  the  bait  casting 
line  due  to  the  friction  on  the  guides  and  the  pull 
of  the  bait  in  its  start  to  the  fish.  The  wear  is  far 
greater  on  the  first  few  feet  of  the  line  than  any 
other  part,  and  to  be  sure  of  your  fish,  you  must  be 
sure  of  the  strength  of  that  basic  part  of  your  tackle, 
the  line  that  lands  'em.  One  of  the  big  points  to 
remember  in  the  care  of  the  line  is  to  test  it  every 
now  and  then  and  break  off  a  foot  or  two  when  it 
shows  weakness.  The  snapping  of  a  good  line  can 
be  avoided  by  this  little  precaution. 

Many  a  good  lure  is  lost,  many  a  spoon  or  buck- 
tail  donated  to  the  deep  water,  and  many  a  fish  fades 
away  from  the  gaff  because  this  little  essential  in  the 
care  of  the  line  is  overlooked.  The  line  may  well 
be  called  the  "  safety  first  "  of  the  bait-casting  outfit. 

SOFT   BRAID   VERSUS    HARD   BRAID 

The  only  line  to  be  considered  for  bait  casting  is 
the  braided  silk,  and  of  this  kind  we  have  the  choice 
between  the  hard  and  the  soft  braided.  Of  the 

36 


BAIT-CASTING  LINES  37 

former  it  can  be  said  it  wears  well  and  absorbs  prac- 
tically no  water,  but  as  a  casting  line  it  takes  a  back 
seat  to  the  soft  braided  affair.  Owing  to  the  ease 
with  which  the  soft  braided  line  slides  from  the  reel, 
it  makes  the  best  possible  line  for  casting,  and  you 
can  thumb  it  all  day  without  burning  your  thumb  to 
the  quick,  which  is  more  than  you  can  say  for  the 
hard  braided. 

The  soft  braided  line  spools  closely  and  smoothly 
on  the  reel  and  does  not  run  down  so  quickly  in 
making  a  cast,  thus  giving  better  thumb  control  than 
with  the  hard  braided  line. 

For  general  bait  casting  with  plugs  and  artificials 
of  the  wobbler  variety  you  should  have  a  No.  5  line. 
Some  manufacturers  lettering  their  product  make  a 
G  size  which  corresponds  to  the  No.  5.  For  the 
lighter  lures  of  the  spoon,  pork  rind  and  minnow 
class  let  your  selection  be  a  No.  6  or  H  size. 

DON'T  USE  A  ROPE 

The  big  mistake  of  the  beginner,  as  well  as  lots 
of  sure-fire  fishermen,  Old  Man,  is  in  selecting  a  line 
that  is  too  large  and  heavy.  It  is  absolutely  im- 
possible to  do  accurate  casting  with  a  big,  heavy, 
clumsy  line,  and  anyway  this  is  entirely  unnecessary. 
With  the  ordinary  tackle  few  fishermen  can  put  more 
than  four  or  five  pounds  pull  on  the  line  if  the  rod 
is  used  properly,  and  if  it  is  not  the  rod  will  "  go  " 
before  the  line. 


38       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary  to  use  a  line  of 
greater  test  strength  than  12  or  15  pounds  for 
ordinary  casting,  unless,  of  course,  you  are  casting 
for  musky,  northern  pike  or  pickerel.  For  general 
bass  casting  a  1 5-pound  test  line  will  more  than  fill 
the  bill  and  at  the  same  time  keep  your  line  down 
to  a  size  that  will  make  your  casting  far  easier  than 
with  the  heavier  and  more  bulky  line  which  piles  up 
on  your  reel  so  quick  that  it  fouls  on  the  reel  pillars 
and  makes  casting  about  as  enjoyable  as  handling 
a  towline  on  a  tug. 

DRY   YOUR    LINE   AFTER   FISHING 

One  of  the  simplest  ways  to  put  a  good  line  out 
of  the  game  is  to  let  it  dry  on  the  reel;  do  this  a 
few  times,  Buck,  and  your  line  is  n.  g.,  no  matter 
what  high  quality  goods  you  started  with.  When 
dried  on  a  reel,  only  the  top  layers  of  the  line  really 
dry;  the  balance  molds  and  rots  so  that  it  is  in  fine 
shape  to  break  when  you  hook  that  big  one.  All 
of  which  points  to  the  fact  that  you  should  reel  out 
your  line  after  each  day's  fishing,  hang  it  between 
two  convenient  trees  and  let  it  dry  out  thoroughly 
before  putting  it  to  bed.  Don't  let  it  lie  along  the 
ground  or  dry  out  in  the  sun,  and  with  the  above 
care  you  will  add  100  per  cent  to  the  life  of  any  line. 

Another  way  to  put  a  good  casting  line  on  the 
hummer  is  to  use  it  for  trolling.  No  matter  how 
many  swivels  you  may  have  on  your  line  while  troll- 


BAIT-CASTING  LINES  39 

ing,  it  will  become  so  twisted  that  casting  with  it  will 
become  a  "  world's  series  "  of  backlashes.  When 
you  think  it's  time  to  use  a  new  line  for  casting,  shoot 
the  old  one  into  the  trolling  department,  and  die 
happy  casting  the  new  one. 

EASY   TO   WATERPROOF   A    LINE 

To  avoid  soaking  up  too  much  water  in  your 
casting  line,  which  makes  it  heavy,  you  can  water- 
proof it  by  saturating  it  in  a  solution  of  vaseline  and 
light  oil,  or  three-in-one  oil.  You  can  apply  the  oil 
either  by  rubbing  it  into  the  line  with  a  well-soaked 
cloth  or  apply  it  in  bulk  by  heating  the  oil  (not  boil- 
ing) and  soaking  the  entire  line  at  once.  If  you  oil 
the  line  while  still  on  the  original  spool  let  it  soak 
about  20  or  30  minutes;  if  you  have  the  line 
wrapped  loosely  on  a  stick  much  shorter  time,  about 
ten  minutes,  will  do  the  trick.  In  either  case  wipe 
off  all  the  surplus  oil.  This  will  not  only  waterproof 
your  line,  but  will  make  it  pliant  and  flexible  and  the 
lubricant  will  reduce  the  friction  on  the  guides,  sav- 
ing wear  on  the  line  and  aid  it  in  running  smoothly 
and  easily  under  the  thumb. 

Any  way  you  take  it,  Old  Chap,  you  gotta  give  the 
line  some  care  if  you  expect  it  to  do  its  part  in  the 
game  of  "  holdin'  and  landin'  "  the  finny  tribe. 


SPOONS  AND  SPINNERS 

You  wonder  where  the  spoon  gets  its  big  drag 
with  the  fishermen;  well,  Old  Top,  for  trolling  and 
casting,  the  old  reliable  spoon  probably  is  more  gen- 
erally used  than  any  other  kind  of  lure  and  you  can 
check  it  up  in  your  memory  book  that  it  often  gets 
the  fish  when  other  lures  fail  to  coax  the  big  fins  out 
of  the  wet. 

Of  course  the  spoon  doesn't  look  like  any  natural 
bait,  nor  does  it  appear  to  the  beginner  as  a  par- 
ticularly attractive  feed  for  a  hungry  fish,  but  it  does 
the  one  thing  necessary  in  the  fishing  game,  and  that 
is,  it  attracts  the  fish.  After  you  have  had  a  spoon 
bent  double  by  an  over-zealous  fish  trying  to  inhale 
it,  you  will  realize  that  it  is  sure  some  attracter. 

ACCIDENTAL   DISCOVERY    OF    SPOON 

Way  back  in  your  A,  B,  C  days,  so  piscatorial 
historians  claim,  an  old  sour-dough  was  washing  his 
one  spoon  and  plate  after  a  repast  of  johnny-cake 
and  bacon,  when  by  accident  the  spoon  flopped  into 
the  water  and  did  a  salome  down  to  the  bottom.  As 
the  spoon  zig-zagged  down  through  the  water  he 
noticed  the  quick,  sharp  flashes  of  light  reflected 
from  the  bowl  of  the  spoon,  and  at  the  same  time  a 

40 


SPOONS  AND  SPINNERS  41 

lake  trout  getting  the  light  flashes,  made  a  lunge  for 
the  spoon,  dulled  his  teeth  on  it,  and  then  beat  it. 
Thanks  to  the  old  "  hard-panner  "  and  his  ability 
to  assimilate  an  idea,  we  have  the  legion  of  spoon 
baits  to-day.  He  rescued  the  spoon,  cut  off  the  bowl, 
bored  a  hole  in  each  end,  linked  a  hook  in  one  end 
and  a  line  in  the  other,  and  ate  fish  for  supper  that 
very  night. 

The  changes  that  have  been  made  in  the  old 
original  spoon  in  shape,  size  and  decorations,  runs 
up  into  the  hundreds.  They  are  plain,  fluted, 
grooved,  hammered,  corrugated,  ribbed,  and  what- 
not, and  as  long  as  they  spin  around  in  the  water 
they  get  the  fish.  You  can  get  them  in  gold,  silver, 
nickel,  copper,  brass  or  enamel  and  if  you  tried  out 
the  whole  kit,  you'd  be  busy  the  rest  of  the  season 
without  a  layoff  for  grub. 

GREAT  STUFF  FOR  TROLLING 

For  trolling  the  spoon  hook  will  hold  its  own  any 
time.  Bass,  pickerel,  pike  and  musky  like  to  give 
it  the  once-over  as  it  glides  through  the  water,  shoot- 
ing its  light  shafts  in  all  directions.  It  can  be  seen 
for  quite  a  distance  under  water  and  can  be  used 
either  with  plain  hooks  or  with  a  feathered  or  buck- 
tailed  treble  hook.  A  single  hook  with  a  minnow, 
shiner,  frog  or  pork  rind  works  well  with  a  spoon. 

For  bass,  a  No.  3  tandem  Hildebrandt  Slim  Eli, 
or  Standard  shape,  or  a  Skinner  No.  3  Fluted  Spoon 


42       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

makes  a  selection  that  will  help  fill  the  stringer,  while 
pickerel  and  musky  require  a  larger  sized  spoon, 
say  a  No.  6  to  10,  for  a  single  spoon,  and  No,  6 
for  the  tandem  spinner. 

For  casting  you  will  need  a  No.  3  single  spoon 
which  you  can  use  without  any  other  bait  or  with  an 
eyed  fly  or  natural  baits.  A  strip  of  pork  rind  cut 
to  the  shape  of  a  minnow  and  used  with  the  No.  3 
spoon  makes  a  bait  that  is  a  sure  enough  "  killer." 

As  long  as  you  keep  it  moving  in  the  water,  a 
spoon  will  turn  around  and  you  have  a  chance  to 
attract  the  fish,  but  letting  it  die  a  slow  death,  and 
merely  come  through  the  water  without  any  action 
is  a  loss  of  time  to  you.  It's  the  movement  and 
the  light  shafts  from  the  spoon  that  attract  the  fish, 
and  it's  up  to  you  to  keep  the  bait  moving. 

On  a  bright,  sunny  day  in  clear  water,  a  copper 
spoon  can  be  used  with  good  results,  while  on  a 
cloudy  day,  or  when  the  water  is  rough,  a  brass  or 
nickeled  spoon  makes  the  best  lure.  For  fishing  in 
dark  waters,  the  Skinner  white  enameled  spoon 
makes  'em  sit  up  and  take  notice. 

GOOD   FOR   TROUT   FISHING,    ALSO 

On  its  way  to  glory  the  little  old  spoon  has  even 
been  copped  by  the  trout  fisherman  and  on  a  dull 
day  a  small  Colorado  spinner  can  be  seen  better  than 
the  fly  alone.  Often  when  the  trout  fails  to  take 
the  fly  on  the  surface,  they  will  give  it  the  "  close- 


SPOONS  AND  SPINNERS  43 

up  "  if  sunk  to  the  depth  where  they  lie,  with  a  spoon 
for  a  helper.  Early  in  the  season  when  the  waters 
are  high  and  roily  as  well  as  clouded  with  mud,  the 
spinner  is  an  asset  to  the  trout  fisherman. 

For  after-dark  fishing,  which  is  the  time  the  big 
ones  are  generally  on  the  still  hunt  for  feed,  the 
Pflueger-Tandem  luminous  spinner  makes  a  good 
bait.  This  is  also  fine  for  moonlight  trolling.  The 
luminous  spinner  must  be  exposed  to  the  sunlight 
before  using  at  night,  the  same  as  the  artificial  plugs 
used  for  night  fishing. 

When  all  other  lures  fail  you  can  generally  count 
on  getting  the  fish  if  you  fall  back  on  the  spoon, 
either  in  trolling  or  casting,  and  your  tackle  box  is 
not  complete,  Old  Man,  unless  you  are  prepared  for 
emergencies  with  a  selection  of  single  and  tandem 
spoons  and  spinners  in  nickel,  brass  and  copper. 
Just  remember,  however,  to  keep  them  well  polished, 
and  when  you  use  them,  keep  'em  moving. 


WOBBLERS,  WIGGLERS  AND  PLUGS 

They  are  with  us  by  the  hundreds  and  even  thou- 
sands, the  various-shaped  wooden  plugs,  painted  in 
every  color  in  the  deck  and  then  a  few  extra  cubist 
daubs  thrown  in  for  luck.  And  here's  the  funny 
part,  old  chap :  they  all  seem  to  get  the  fish,  more 
or  less,  according  to  the  expertness  of  the  manipu- 
lator of  the  rod. 

Although  the  majority  of  the  artificial  baits  do  not 
resemble  any  natural  bait  —  that  is,  not  so  you 
would  notice  it  without  first  having  read  their  pedi- 
grees —  yet  for  some  inexplicable  reason  the  fish 
strike  them,  and  as  they  generally  have  hooks  galore, 
even  the  beginner  has  no  trouble  in  hooking  his  fish; 
in  fact,  many  times  the  fish  hooks  himself.  Of 
course  you'll  have  to  jot  this  down  in  your  dream- 
book:  "  Hookin'  'em  doesn't  always  mean  landin' 


'em." 


WHAT   MAKES   ;EM   DO   IT? 

Probably  when  a  highly  cultured  bass  sees  one  of 
these  gloriously  decorated  affairs  splash  in  his  home 
grounds  he  up  and  makes  a  dash  at  it  in  anger  at 
the  rough-neck  intrusion  of  the  queer-looking  object, 
or  perhaps  strikes  it  in  pure  cussedness,  egged  on 

44 


WOBBLERS,  WIGGLERS  AND  PLUGS        45 

by  the  wonderful  movements  of  the  little  demon  in 
its  wobble  back  to  the  caster. 

How  they  ever  dug  the  big  bunch  out  of  the  wood- 
pile and  got  away  with  it  is  the  eighth  wonder  of  the 
world.  More  power  to  'em.  What  would  a  fellow 
do  if  he  couldn't  browse  around  among  a  bunch  of 
new  ones  and  select  a  few  to  take  along  on  each  trip 
and  try  them  out  on  the  unsuspecting  fish?  Every 
time  you  get  a  new  selection  you  have  a  sneaking 
idea  that  you  have  perhaps  at  last  found  the 
"  killer  "  you  are  always  on  the  lookout  for. 

You  can  get  them  shaped  like  a  minnow  or 
fashioned  after  a  chunk  of  pork  and  they  are  some- 
times armed  with  a  spinner  fore  and  aft,  while  in 
the  last  few  years  plugs  resembling  nothing  in  par- 
ticular have  been  put  temptingly  before  the  eyes  of 
the  fishermen  and  touted  as  the  one  best  bet  of  the 
season.  Some  of  them  don't  look  like  fish  feed,  but 
they  have  a  little  groove,  flute  or  curve  that  makes 
them  do  a  Turkish  dance  through  the  water  that 
even  an  old-time  "  he  bass  "  falls  for. 

YOU    NEVER    CAN   TELL 

You  never  know  what  you  can  do  with  one  of 
these  dippy,  diving,  wobbling  wonders  'till  you  try 
it  and  then  all  the  advance  dope  and  traditions  of 
that  particular  bait  may  go  to  smash  in  one  after- 
noon's fishing  and  new  victories  in  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent line  of  fishing  be  pegged  up  to  its  credit. 


46       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

To  illustrate  this  point,  Old  Man,  at  the  opening 
of  the  season  I  took  a  flyer  at  bass.  It  had  been 
cold  and  rainy,  with  high  waters,  and  the  bass  were 
quiet  and  far-offish.  My  tackle  box  was  decked  out 
with  a  collection  of  lures  guaranteed  to  make  any 
bass  nervous,  jealous  or  fighting  mad.  The  bass 
sure  were  off  their  feed,  both  in  color  and  shape. 
Nothing  seemed  to  coax  them  out  of  the  wet.  I 
snapped  on  a  South  Bend  Bass-ereno  bait,  all  white 
with  a  red  head,  and  tried  that  as  an  enticer.  Noth- 
ing doing  with  the  bass,  but  I  had  as  nice  a  piece  of 
wall-eyed  pike  fishing  as  a  fellow  could  find  any- 
where. Almost  every  cast  brought  a  strike,  and  in 
the  afternoon's  casting  this  little  old  bass  lure  hooked 
32  wall-eyed  pike,  all  of  which  were  thrown  back  in 
the  drink  except  the  larger  ones  and  that  left  a 
stringer  with  the  limit  and  none  below  two  pounds, 
topped  with  a  six  and  a  half  pounder.  My  fishing 
pal  and  guide  had  the  same  luck  with  a  white  Wilson 
Wobbler  with  red  flutes,  by  which  he  swears  like  a 
pagan.  They  were  sure  off  the  bass,  but  on  the 
pike. 

THE    COLORS   THEY    LIKE 

As  to  color,  the  preference  seems  to  be  with  white 
body  and  red  head,  followed  by  all  red,  all  yellow, 
green  back  with  white  belly  and  rainbow,  but  what 
they  take  one  day  may  be  passed  without  a  squint 
the  next.  However,  with  the  above  colors  in  your 


WOBBLERS,  WIGGLERS  AND  PLUGS       47 

tackle    outfit   you   probably    can    please    them    any 
day. 

The  luminous-painted  plug,  which,  if  exposed  to 
daylight  or  artificial  light,  glows  like  the  dampened 
head  of  a  match,  makes  an  excellent  bait  for  after 
sundown  or  moonlight  casting.  The  fact  that  these 
baits  float  when  in  the  water  and  not  in  motion 
makes  them  an  ideal  lure  for  the  beginner,  especially 
when  he  puts  in  a  session  with  a  little  old  backlash. 
He  knows  his  bait  is  floating  instead  of  snagging, 
which  was  the  habit  of  the  "  daddy  "  of  this  kind 
of  plug,  the  old  underwater  sinker  that  found  more 
snags  and  hook  holds  than  a  fellow  thought  could 
exist  in  well  regulated  fishing  waters. 

LURES   THAT   MAKE    'EM    STRIKE 

For  a  selection  of  lively  artificials,  the  Jamison 
Coaxer,  which  is  a  cross  between  a  chunk  of  pork 
and  a  humming  bird,  makes  a  good  one  to  start  with ; 
the  Heddon's  Baby  Crab  Wiggler  gives  all  the 
moves  of  a  crawfish  going  home  to  its  mother  and 
that  sure  is  pie  for  the  bass.  The  Wilson  Fluted 
Wobbler  South  Bend  Bass-ereno  and  Rush  Tango 
Minnow,  all  with  white  body  and  red  heads,  give 
you  a  bunch  of  dives,  dips  and  crawls  that  are  hard 
to  beat.  The  Pflueger-Surprise  minnow,  Apex  Bull- 
nose  and  the  Jim  Dandy  plug  have  the  motion  of 
a  crippled  minnow,  easy  feed  for  a  hungry  fish. 

With  these  baits  in  your  tackle  box,  and  any  others 


48       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

that  tickle  your  fancy,  you  ought  to  be  able  to  slip 
one  over  on  the  unsuspecting  fish  and  at  the  same 
time  have  a  lot  of  fun  watching  them  do  their  dance 
in  the  water. 


NIGHT  BAIT-CASTING 

\ 

Nearly  every  fisherman  develops  a  case  of  buck 
fever,  or  "  nerves,"  when  he  lands  his  first  musky, 
especially  if  the  musky  be  a  large-sized  one.  While 
fishing  last  summer  with  a  pal  who  had  never  landed 
a  musky,  but  who  had  brought  many  bass  to  net,  he 
hooked  his  first  musky,  played  him  coolly  and  with 
skill  until  the  musky  broke  water  close  up  to  the 
boat,  and  then  when  he  lamped  the  size  of  the  fish 
and  the  sardonic  smile  wrinkling  the  old  villain's 
mouth,  which  had  an  enormous  spread,  this  old-time 
basser  went  to  pieces  with  as  nice  a  case  of  "  nerves  " 
as  you'll  find  in  a  day's  paddle. 

The  old  scout's  sole  desire  was  to  derrick  that 
musky  right  into  the  boat.  He  had  an  awful  night- 
mare that  this  great,  big  whopper  would  get  away, 
and  I  had  to  beg  and  entreat  him  to  give  and  take 
line  with  the  whims  of  the  musky  and  use  his  won- 
derful skill  in  playing  the  fish.  After  the  "  shot  of 
grace  "  ended  the  fight,  my  pal  said  he  had  an  un- 
conquerable desire  to  yank  that  musky  in  by  main 
force  and  an  overwhelming  fear  that  he  would  get 
away.  At  the  same  time  he  was  shaking  like  a 
horse  with  the  heaves,  and  the  beads  of  cold  perspi- 
ration were  oozing  out  on  his  fevered  brow. 

49 


50       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
FULL   OF   THRILLS 

And  this  only  leads  up  to  what  you  may  expect 
to  experience,  Old  Man,  'when  you  hook  your  first 
bass  in  the  dead  of  night.  Not  a  moonlight  night, 
mind  you,  but  a  simon  pure  pitch-dark  affair,  when 
the  big  u  he-whops  "  are  flopping  around  making  a 
night  of  it  and  feeding  to  their  hearts'  content.  If 
you  don't  discover  on  your  first  night-fishing  expedi- 
tion that  you  have  an  entirely  unknown  set  of  nerves 
with  a  bunch  of  jumps  and  thrills  that  you  have  never 
experienced  before,  you  are  of  a  different  make-up 
from  the  ordinary  old  scout  who  follows  the  glad- 
some call  of  the  lakes  and  streams. 

There  is  a  fascination  about  night  fishing  that  can 
be  found  in  no  other  angle  of  the  game,  and  once 
you  have  "  set  in  "  you  will  make  it  part  of  each 
fishing  trip  to  have  a  few  sessions  with  the  big  fins 
that  stay  up  all  night. 

STURDY  TACKLE   NECESSARY 

For  night  fishing  you  will  of  course  use  your  steel 
rod,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  built  for  sturdier  work 
than  the  split-bamboo,  and  you  never  can  tell  what 
you  are  going  to  run  up  against  in  a  night  foray. 
For  instance  —  a  musky.  What  luck  to  hook  one 
of  these  boys  and  have  him  dish  up  his  tailful  of 
tricks  while  you  have  your  hands  wrapped  around  a 


NIGHT  BAIT-CASTING  51 

rod  that  has  the  weight  and  stiffness  to  help  bring 
him  to  gaff ! 

For  even  the  most  experienced  caster  to  go  on  a 
night  casting  jaunt  with  the  ordinary  reel  is  sure  a 
gambling  chance.  Backlashes  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
cleverest  thumber  and  one  of  them  at  night  comes 
under  the  head  of  what  old  General  Sherman  called 
war.  To  avoid  this,  tote  along  a  little  old  antiback- 
lash  reel,  for  if  there  ever  was  a  place  for  the  self- 
thumber,  it  is  in  night-fishing.  A  level  winding  at- 
tachment also  comes  in  handy,  as  spooling  the  line 
evenly  in  the  dark  is  some  trick  without  one.  A 
level  winding  reel  runs  a  close  second  to  the  self- 
thumber  for  night  work,  and  the  advantage  of  the 
self-thumber  is  so  slight  that  a  choice  of  the  two 
merely  depends  on  which  you  happen  to  have  in 
your  kit.  A  reel  with  the  combination  of  the  two 
is  a  sure-fire  winner  in  the  dark. 

BE    SURE    OF   YOUR    LINE 

For  the  line,  the  number  five  or  six,  soft  braided 
silk,  same  as  used  for  ordinary  casting,  is  right. 
The  heavier  line  is  better  as  the  added  strength  may 
come  in  handy  and  the  casts  are  all  short  ones  at 
night,  which  will  keep  the  little  extra  weight  from 
being  noticed.  Be  sure  your  line  tests  out  strong 
before  the  trip,  as  the  work  of  landing  your  fish  will 
be  rougher  than  in  the  daylight,  owing  to  the  handi- 


52       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

cap  in  the  sight  line,  and  you  have  to  take  some 
chances  in  giving  the  butt  and  holding  back  that  you 
wouldn't  find  necessary  if  you  could  follow  the  fish 
with  your  eyes. 

As  to  lures,  make  a  selection  of  all  white  and 
luminous,  selecting  only  floaters  and  semi-surface 
plugs.  The  under-water  plug  is  taboo  and.  has  no 
place  in  the  night-kit.  Weedless  hooks  on  your 
plugs  will  save  you  an  endless  amount  of  trouble, 
and  although  you  may  not  hook  every  strike,  you 
eliminate  the  hooking  of  villainous  weeds,  snags  and 
windfalls,  and  of  these  you  will  find  millions  you 
never  met  before,  in  a  night's  fishing.  The  luminous 
plug,  which  glows  at  night  after  being  exposed  to 
the  sun  during  the  day,  has  the  added  advantage  of 
being  easily  located  on  the  water  by  the  caster  be- 
sides making  a  more  inviting  bait-  for  the  bass. 

DON'T   RUSH   THE    CAST 

In  night  fishing,  about  the  most  important  thing 
is  to  be  acquainted  with  the  bay,  cove  or  stretch  of 
water  you  intend  to  fish.  Look  it  over  well  before 
the  actual  fishing  and  locate  the  weeds,  windfalls  and 
snags.  Pick  out  the  spot  where  you  intend  to  fish 
and  anchor  in  a  position  that  will  give  you  casting 
water  on  three  sides.  Slip  the  old  boat  into  this 
berth  a  little  before  sunset,  as  quietly  as  possible, 
and  drop  the  anchor.  After  the  sun's  glow  has  left 
the  sky  and  the  dark  gathers  around,  you  will  be 


NIGHT  BAIT-CASTING  53 

shocked  into  alertness  by  the  first  splash  off  to  the 
right  as  one  of  the  big  fellows  does  an  "  Annette 
Kellerman  "  after  a  fleeing  minnow.  Don't  rush 
the  cast,  but  take  a  little  time  and  swing  it  out  in 
the  direction  of  the  splash,  and  don't  be  afraid  to 
let  the  plug  make  a  splash  as  it  strikes  the  water. 
Before  you  land  the  first  one,  they'll  be  flopping  all 
around,  and  your  night's  work  is  cut  out  for  you. 


ON  THE  HOME  LIFE  OF  THE  BASS 

Every  one  needs  a  little  info  on  the  habits  and 
home  life  of  the  black  bass  and  when  and  where  to 
find  him.  The  bass,  both  large  and  small-mouthed, 
is  a  roamer,  a  lively,  active  hunter  for  the  best  place 
to  gorge  himself  on  the  choice  minnows,  crawfish 
and  helgramite  with  a  dessert  from  the  surface  of  the 
water  of  moths,  flies  and  frogs.  He  is  a  great  little 
traveler,  and  soon  becomes  big  chief  of  the  waters 
in  which  he  lives.  With  such  a  varied  menu,  you 
will  find  him  ever  ready  for  a  fight,  equally  eager 
for  fly-hook,  trolling-spoon,  live  bait  or  plug  and 
right  on  the  job  to  put  up  a  struggle  that  will  test 
your  skill.  You  can  fish  for  him  night  or  day,  as 
he  is  a  24-hour  feeder,  but  early  morning  and  late 
afternoon  is  the  surest  time  to  get  him  right.  He  is 
an  active  rogue  and  continually  rising  from  the  bot- 
tom to  the  surface,  at  times  jumping  above  the  water 
in  pursuit  of  his  feed.  He  changes  his  home  and 
feeding  ground  as  the  season  passes.  In  the  spring 
he  is  found  in  the  shallow  water  in  the  streams  and 
rivers,  below  rapids  and  riffles,  and  as  the  water 
warms  up  he  moves  to  the  deep  pools  lying  along- 
side of  windfalls  and  logs,  rocky  ledges  and  weedy 
spots.  During  the  hot  summer  he  migrates  to 
greater  depths  where  the  water  is  cool.  Likewise 

54 


At  left,  small-mouth  black  bass,  weight  5  Ibs.  15  oz.,  length  22  inches, 
girth  17  inches,  landed  by  Albert  Jay  Cook  of  Pittsburg,  Penna.  This 
bass  was  taken  from  the  cold  waters  of  Black  Lake.  McNaughton,  Wis- 
consin, during  a  snowstorm  and  it  put  up  a  snappy  fight  for  freedom. 
The  lure  used  was  a  Pflueger- Surprise  Minnow,  perch  colored  body. 


At  right,  large-month  black  bass,  weight  7  pounds,  length  23 :  _•  inches, 
girth  16  inches,  landed  by  \\mrield  S.  Matteson,  Slielbyville.  ^li^higan. 
This  bass  was  taken  from  the  waters  of  Miller  Lake,  Michigan,  on  a  very 
hot  Julv  dav  and  the  lure  used  wa>  a  live  shiner. 


ON  THE  HOME  LIFE  OF  THE  BASS        55 

in  the  lakes,  the  bass  are  "  at  home,"  in  the  spring, 
in  the  shallowest  places,  lying  off  of  the  sand  bars 
and  gravel  formation  and  you  can  count  on  a  good 
catch  close  inshore  in  the  very  low  water.  A  little 
later,  when  the  weeds,  lilies  and  reeds  are  well 
grown,  you  will  find  him  in  the  vicinity  of  those 
plants.  Both  the  large  and  small-mouthed  bass  are 
often  found  in  the  same  lakes,  but  in  different  locali- 
ties. The  small-mouth  favors  the  stony  bars  or 
shoals  varying  in  depth  from  two  to  forty  or  fifty 
feet,  while  the  large-mouth  prefers  the  weeds  and 
muddy  bottoms. 

EAST   WIND   NOT   SO   BAD 

Weather  conditions  have  been  blamed  since  the 
time  of  Noah  for  an  empty  stringer  or  creel.  Rainy 
days,  pleasant  days,  all  kinds  of  winds,  and  especially 
an  east  wind,  have  been  cussed  as  the  cause  of 
"  fisherman's  luck.n  Remember  this :  the  bass  keeps 
on  filling  the  feed-bag  just  the  same,  and  an  east 
wind  is  better  than  no  wind  at  all.  You  will  get 
more  bass  when  the  surface  of  the  water  is  slightly 
ruffled  by  a  breeze  than  when  fishing  on  a  clear  still 
day.  Last  year,  at  the  middle  of  the  season  in 
Wisconsin,  a  pal  and  I  landed  19  fine  large-mouth 
bass  from  a  little  bay  in  something  less  than  an  hour, 
one  of  us  casting  while  the  other  held  the  boat  off 
shore.  There  was  quite  a  stiff  east  wind  blowing 
and  the  surface  of  the  water  was  broken  by  a  con- 


56       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

tinuous  roll  of  small  waves.  The  bass  ranged  from 
two  and  one-half  to  five  pounds  and  were  caught  be- 
tween six  and  seven  o'clock,  after  we  had  fished  all 
day  with  very  poor  luck.  These  fish  were  caught 
with  a  white  Wilson  wobbler,  with  a  red  head,  and 
a  Jamison  Coaxer  plug.  This  only  goes  to  show 
that  the  east  wind  has  been  given  the  ten-count  with- 
out a  chance  at  defense. 

BASS    HAVE   KEEN    SIGHT 

While  playing  the  game,  don't  for  a  minute  forget 
that  a  bass  has  eyes  —  and  he  sure  knows  how  to 
use  them.  Once  he  lamps  you,  your  bait  or  lures 
are  not  for  him,  and  he  has  moved  to  other  quarters. 
Don't  stand  in  the  boat  and  open  up  with  a  per- 
sonally conducted  sight-seeing  tour  before  you  cast. 
The  bass  also  hears,  and  often  you  will  think  that 
he  is  exceptionally  keen  in  both  of  these  senses. 
While  in  a  boat,  bear  in  mind  that  sound  vibrations 
carry  farther  in  the  water  than  you  cast,  and  under- 
water sounds  mean  a  frightened  fish.  Save  useless 
casts  in  a  pool  from  which  the  fish  have  vamoosed, 
and  don't  telegraph  the  bass  before  inviting  him  to 
come  in  out  of  the  wet. 

A  bass  will  always  gorge  his  food,  although  there 
is  quite  a  difference  in  his  mouthing  of  baits.  If 
you  are  fishing  with  live  bait,  a  minnow,  crawfish  or 
frog,  he  will  strike  without  much  force  and  will  mull 
the  bait  around  in  his  mouth  a  bit  before  swallowing 


ON  THE  HOME  LIFE  OF  THE  BASS        57 

it;  in  fact,  with  a  live  minnow  he  will  turn  it  around 
in  his  mouth  and  swallow  it  headfirst.  In  this  case 
don't  strike  him  too  quickly,  but  give  him  a  little  time 
to  play  the  bait  before  striking..  A  bass  handles  a 
live  bait  somewhat  like  the  play  of  a  cat  with  a 
mouse  it  has  caught.  Many  a  time  I  have  torn  a 
minnow  in  half  through  striking  too  soon,  having 
the  pleasure  of  baiting  again  instead  of  landing  the 
bass  that  had  a  half  hold  on  my  bait.  If  you  are 
using  a  wooden  minnow  or  plug,  however,  strike 
quickly  right  after  the  bass  strikes,  as  he  immediately 
discovers  that  it  is  not  a  choice  morsel  of  food  and 
disconnects. 

STUDY   THE    PLACE   YOU    FISH 

Any  nice  pleasant  day  that  you  would  enjoy  on 
the  water  makes  a  good  day  for  bass  fishing.  The 
big  thing  is  to  locate  the  spots  where  the  fish  are 
likely  to  be,  at  the  particular  time  you  are  fishing, 
and  to  try  out  the  bait  or  lure  that  pleases  his  fancy 
at  that  time.  What  he  rises  to  one  day  may  be  dis- 
dainfully ignored  the  next.  You  simply  must  study 
each  location  and  condition.  If  you  have  only  a 
week-end  trip,  you  naturally  desire  to  get  as  much 
actual  fishing  as  possible,  and  you  will  find  that  you 
will  save  time  and  get  more  fish  by  "  talking  it  over  " 
with  someone  who  is  acquainted  with  the  waters  you 
intend  to  fish,  or  better  still,  secure  a  guide  if  pos- 
sible. 


FLY-CASTING  TACKLE  FOR  THE 
BEGINNER 

You  want  to  get  into  the  fly-casting  game,  but  feel 
that  the  price  of  an  outfit  is  high.  That  all  de- 
pends, Old  Man,  on  how  you  go  about  it.  You  have 
heard  so  much  about  rods  at  $25  to  $50  and  so  on, 
that  it  makes  you  feel  sick  when  you  think  of  prac- 
ticing on  such  high  priced  tackle.  You  expect  to 
give  the  tackle  some  hard  knocks  before  you  get  the 
hang  of  the  sport  and  you  see  your  bankroll  with  a 
healthy  case  of  shrinkage  during  the  operation. 

For  a  starter  there  is  no  need  of  going  deeper 
into  the  mint  for  an  outfit  than  say  $15  to  $18,  and 
if  you  do  feel  like  playing  her  a  little  higher,  $25 
makes  a  limit,  and  at  that  you  can  get  a  good  service- 
able outfit  that  will  take  you  through  the  season  and 
give  you  a  working  practice  that  will  make  you  a 
"  stay-for-sure  "  fly-caster. 

SELECT   ROD   WITH    CARE 

Of  course  every  fellow  wants  as  fine  an  outfit  as 
he  can  select  after  he's  in  the  game  and  has  the  rough 
edges  worn  off.  A  rod  should  have  the  same  con- 
sideration that  one  gives  to  the  selection  of  a  shot- 
gun or  rifle.  It  takes  the  same  place  in  the  fishing 
kit  that  the  gun  does  in  the  hunting  layout.  A  fel- 
low pays  a  good  price  for  a  gun,  selecting  the  best 

58 


FLY-CASTING  TACKLE  FOR  BEGINNER       59 

he  can  get  and  being  mighty  particular  about  the 
drop,  the  bore  and  all  details,  because  he  depends 
on  his  gun  to  stand  him  well  at  the  right  moment. 
Therefore  as  the  rod  holds  the  same  value  to  the 
fisherman,  the  care  in  selection  and  the  money  put 
into  it  covers  a  big  vital  point  in  the  outfit. 

However,  for  a  starter  we  can  select  a  well  made 
and  serviceable  line  of  tackle  at  a  very  moderate 
cost.  Here  is  an  outfit,  from  which  a  selection  'can 
be  made  at  either  end,  as  to  price,  and  it  will  cover 
tackle  good  enough  for  any  beginner.  You  can  buy 
the  $5  rod  or  the  $10  one  or  go  anywhere  between, 
and  you  will  get  good  value  as  far  as  service  goes. 

OUTFIT    FOR   THE    BEGINNER 

Fly  rod  of  split  bamboo  or  steel,  $5  to  $10. 

Reel,  single  action,  click,  $i  to  $5. 

Enameled  waterproof  silk  line,  $1.50. 

Half  dozen  6-foot  gut  leaders,  $1.25. 

Two  dozen  artificial  flies,  about  eight  patterns,  $3. 

Fly  book,  $1.50. 

Wicker  creel  or  basket,  $2. 

Landing  net  (folding),  $1.25. 

Leader  box,  25c. 

From  this  list,  Buck,  you  will  see  that  you  can  go 
as  low  as  $16.75  or  as  high  as  $25.75.  Anyway 
you  figure  it,  you  will  get  an  outfit  that  will  be  service- 
able and  good  enough  for  you  to  get  the  swing  of 
fly-casting.  And  at  that,  Old  Man,  you  will  be  using 


60       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

some  of  this  stuff  more  than  one  season.  Outside 
of  adding  perhaps  a  rod  and  a  few  flies  the  next  sea- 
son, the  other  tackle  will  carry  through  with  ease. 

In  selecting  your  rod,  make  it  9  to  9  J^  foot  in 
length,  6  ounce  weight,  three-piece  with  extra  tip, 
snake  guides,  German  silver  ferrules  and  solid  metal 
reel  seat.  The  rod  when  put  together  should  turn 
around  in  the  hand  with  exactly  the  same  droop  all 
aro'und.  It  should  show  an  even  curve  without  lop- 
ping over  to  one  side  and  have  plenty  of  action  when 
you  whip  or  bend  it. 

The  line  should  be  enameled  waterproof  silk, 
level  braided  size  E.  Here  you  can  go  a  little 
deeper  if  you  wish  and  get  a  double  tapered  line, 
which  being  lighter  at  the  ends  makes  less  friction 
in  going  through  the  guides  and  enables  you  to  shoot 
out  the  line  for  greater  distance  in  your  casts;  how- 
ever, a  level  braided  line  will  answer  the  purpose. 

The  reel  is  not  as  important  in  fly-casting  as  in 
bait-casting,  as  it  is  merely  used  to  store  surplus  line. 
The  featherweight,  6o-yard  size,  weighing  3  ounces, 
makes  a  good  all  round  reel,  while  the  automatics 
are  coming  into  use  to  a  greater  extent  each  season. 

FLIES   YOU    SWEAR   BY 

As  to  the  selection  of  flies,  each  fisherman  has 
his  own  particular  pets  and  no  doubt  you  will  load 
up  on  all  kinds  of  feathery  fancies,  until  in  time  you 
pick  out  about  half  a  dozen  that  you  swear  by. 


FLY-CASTING  TACKLE  FOR  BEGINNER       61 

Every  other  fellow  in  the  game  does  that  very  thing 
and  if  you  develop  into  a  real  bug,  you'll  have  your 
u  killers  "  as  sure  as  shootin'.  Whip  a  stream  for 
a  few  hours,  trying  every  fly  in  your  kit  without  a 
rise,  when  the  fish  are  "  off,''  and  then  pick  a  fly  at 
the  windup  when  they  happen  to  be  "  on,"  and  get 
a  well  filled  creel,  and  you  will  play  that  fly  clean 
across  the  board,  until  the  same  thing  happens  over 
again  with  another  fly.  One  well  known  fisherman 
who  carries  in  his  kit  an  assortment  of  about  a 
dozen  flies,  admits  that  in  the  past  five  years  he  has 
seldom  used  more  than  three  flies  —  and  he  is  some 
fisherman  at  that,  not  the  porch  variety. 

FLIES    FOR   THE    BEGINNER 

For  the  eight  patterns  to  go  with  the  above  outfit 
let  it  be  Coachman,  Professor,  Queen  of  Waters, 
Cow  Dung,  Brown  Hackle,  Silver  Doctor,  McGinty 
and  Emerson  Hough  Buck-tail.  This  last  named  fly 
is  a  new  one  to  most  trout  fisherman,  but  it  sure  is 
a  killer.  It  isn't  a  very  fancy  looking  cuss,  just  an 
ordinary  sort  of  a  fly  that  doesn't  shine  up  along- 
side of  the  dainty  looking  feathery  affairs,  but  to 
those  who  have  used  it,  it  holds  the  first  place  in 
their  fly  book,  because  it  is  certainly  some  creel  filler. 

With  the  above  tackle,  Old  Scout,  you  can  have 
many  pleasant  days  on  the  trout  streams  and  feel 
that  you  are  learning  a  game  that  has  greater  at- 
tractions every  time  you  play  it. 


ON  LEARNING  FLY-CASTING 

It's  some  jump  from  bait-casting  with  artificial 
plugs  to  fly-casting  with  the  light,  feathery  imitations 
that  coax  the  gamy  fighters  out  of  the  waters,  but 
you  can  make  it  easy  enough,  Old  Man,  by  doing  a 
stretch  of  "  dry  water  "  practice  work  on  the  back 
lawn.  To  the  ordinary  bait-caster  who  has  accus- 
tomed himself  to  the  stiffer,  short  rod,  fly-casting 
with  the  nine  or  ten  foot  rod,  weighing  from  five  to 
six  and  a  quarter  ounces,  seems  like  the  impossible. 
Many  are  the  yarns  he  has  heard  about  the  "  fine  art 
of  fishing" — fly-casting;  much  has  been  written 
about  the  "  science  "  of  this  end  of  the  game,  in 
fact,  the  average  every-now-and-then,  week-end 
fisherman  who  has  become  proficient  in  bait-casting 
has  been  scared  to  a  fare-you-well  at  the  thought  of 
learning  to  toss  the  light  flies  and  he  has  stuck  to 
bait-casting  as  the  "  safety-first  "  of  fishing,  thereby 
missing  many  pleasant  hours  whipping  streams. 

PRACTICE   MAKES   A    FLY-CASTER 

Coming  right  down  to  rocks,  you  can  learn  fly- 
casting  by  a  little  practice  with  the  right  tackle.  Of 
course,  you  must  not  get  the  bug  in  your  tackle-box 
that  this  practice  makes  you  an  expert  fly-fisherman, 

62 


ON  LEARNING  FLY-CASTING  63 

but  it  gives  you  a  start  at  an  angle  of  the  game  to 
which  you  will  become  a  regular  member  as  soon  as 
you  have  whipped  a  stream  or  two.  You  can  learn 
the  action  of  fly-casting  quite  easily,  and  practice  will 
make  you  in  a  short  time  a  good  fly-caster,  but  there 
is  nothing  whatever  that  will  enable  you  to  bring 
home  a  well  filled  creel,  except  a  study  of  fish  and 
the  streams  you  fish,  and  the  exercise  of  care  and 
alertness  of  mind  while  after  the  game  fish  that  rise 
to  the  fly. 

You  can  whip  a  stream  all  day  with  any  variety 
or  selection  of  flies  without  creeling  a  fish,  if  you 
don't  know  the  habits  and  loafing  places  of  the  fish 
and  how  to  cast  without  scaring  them  to  death. 

TACKLE    NECESSARY   TO    START 

Probably  the  best  all  round  fly  rod  for  all  except 
the  smallest  of  mountain  brooks,  is  a  split-bamboo 
from  nine  to  ten  feet,  weighing  from  five  to  six 
ounces.  My  preference  is  the  nine  and  a  half  footer 
for  general  casting,  with  25  yards  of  waterproof 
enameled  silk  line,  size  E  or  F,  according  to  the 
weight  of  the  rod;  E  for  the  heavier  and  F  for  the 
lighter  one.  An  ordinary  single  action  click  reel  of 
100  yards  capacity  is  necessary.  Don't  bother  with 
a  leader  for  the  lawn  practice  but  save  it  for  the 
real  fishing,  although  you  can  tie  a  very  small  piece 
of  white  string  on  the  end  of  the  line  to  locate  the 
end  easily  and  so  note  the  distance  from  your  target. 


64       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
TRYING   OUT   THE    CAST 

Peg  down  a  newspaper  or  small  cloth  on  the  lawn, 
take  a  position  facing  it,  say  25  feet  away,  place  the 
reel  on  the  underside  of  the  rod  with  the  handle  to 
the  right  and  keep  it  there  at  all  times.  Grasp  the 
rod  in  the  right  hand,  reel  under,  with  the  thumb 
straight  along  the  top  of  the  grip  —  never  curved 
around  the  grip.  Cast  out  about  ten  feet  of  line  let- 
ting it  fall  in  front  of  you  on  a  line  with  the  target 
and  with  the  left  hand  unreel  about  fifteen  feet  of 
line  —  do  not  pass  this  line  through  the  guides  and 
out  the  tip,  but  let  it  drop  to  the  ground  at  your  feet, 
retaining  a  hold  on  the  line  about  a  foot  this  side  of 
the  first  guide.  Now  point  your  rod  at  the  target, 
keeping  your  arm  as  far  as  the  elbow  close  to  the 
body  (this  is  essential,  because  the  forearm  and  wrist 
must  do  the  work)  swing  the  rod  up  to  a  vertical 
position,  slowly  at  first,  taking  up  loose  line,  and  end 
with  a  strong,  quick  wrist  and  forearm  motion. 
This  throws  the  line  in  the  air  and  the  swing  of  the 
rod  carries  it  back  over  the  shoulder,  but  be  sure 
to  stop  the  cast  when  the  thumb  along  the  grip  shows 
that  the  rod  is  vertical;  more  casts  are  killed  by  too 
much  of  a  swing  over  the  shoulder  than  any  other 
way.  This  is  the  first  half  of  the  cast  and  is  called 
the  back  cast.  This  cast  causes  the  line  to  fly  out 
behind  you  and  the  instant  you  feel  the  slightest  tug 
on  the  rod  you  know  that  the  line  has  straightened 


ON  LEARNING  FLY-CASTING  65 

out  behind  and  at  this  point  you  should  start  the  for- 
ward cast.  Make  the  forward  cast  by  beginning  it 
with  an  easy  swing,  putting  the  steam  on  at  the  wind- 
up,  and  stopping  the  cast  with  a  snap  when  parallel 
with  the  ground. 

BIG    POINTS   TO   REMEMBER 

The  main  points  to  watch  are :  Make  the  back 
cast  forcibly.  Not  to  swing  the  rod  back  too  far  on 
the  back  cast  (keeping  it  at  vertical  rather  than  back 
farther)  to  start  the  forward  cast  at  the  slightest 
pull  of  the  line,  to  start  forward  cast  mildly,  finish 
it  strong,  and  not  to  lower  the  rod  too  near  the 
water  at  the  wind  up. 

To  prevent  the  fly  from  landing  with  a  splash, 
cast  at  a  point  in  the  air  about  a  yard  above  the 
target,  and  to  make  it  fall  lightly  on  the  water,  raise 
the  tip  of  the  rod  gently  just  before  the  fly  lights. 
If  you  wait  too  long  before  making  the  forward  cast 
the  line  will  drop  behind  you  and  go  dead,  and  to 
make  a  successful  cast  the  line  must  be  alive  and  in 
motion  from  the  first  rise  of  the  rod  to  the  drop  of 
the  fly.  If  you  start  the  forward  cast  before  the 
line  straightens  out  behind,  indicated  by  the  tug  on 
the  rod,  you  will  likely  snap  off  the  flies.  If  you 
have  failed  to  reach  the  target,  go  through  the  same 
operation  of  casts  again,  drawing  a  few  yards  more 
of  line  off  the  reel.  In  fly  fishing  it  is  well  to  fish 
the  near  waters  first,  increasing  the  distance  with 


66       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

each  cast.  Outside  of  having  some  fly-caster  coach 
you  there  is  no  way  to  learn  the  game,  except  to 
keep  at  it  until  you  have  trained  the  wrist  to  do  the 
work  through  the  eye  and  the  rod. 


HIS  MAJESTY  THE  BROOK  TROUT 

Without  a  doubt,  I  feel  like  tacking  the  blue  rib- 
bon on  the  brook  trout  for  being  the  wisest,  liveliest 
and  gamest  of  the  fresh-water  fish.  For  downright 
nerve  and  fight  he  is  in  a  class  by  himself  and  he 
carries  more  tricks  in  his  tail  than  any  other  fish. 
He  is  truly  an  American  and  of  a  sturdy  type  that 
can  forage  a  living  in  any  stream  or  spring-fed  lake 
that  is  cool.  Although  he  does  not  grow  as  large 
as  his  cousin,  the  rainbow  trout  from  the  West,  or 
his  foreign  relative,  the  brown,  or  German  trout,  for 
his  small  size  and  weight  he  puts  up  the  keenest  fight 
of  the  trout  family. 

The  trout  is  trim-built,  with  graceful  lines,  and 
his  constant  battle  with  swift  currents  makes  him  a 
strong,  husky  youngster.  As  a  general  thing  he  is 
found  in  the  small  flowing  streams  where  the  water 
is  cold  and  fresh,  while  the  rainbow  and  brown  trout 
can  thrive  in  warmer  and  deeper  streams  as  well  as 
lakes.  As  a  rule  I  have  found  the  rainbow  and 
brown  trout  in  the  roily  waters  below  falls,  in  the 
swift  rapids,  and  the  brook  trout  in  the  quieter  pools, 
especially  those  with  grassy  beds.  The  trout  is  a 
rapacious  feeder,  and  takes  his  food  from  the  sur- 

67 


68       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

face,  in  midwater  and  at  the  bottom;  he  is,  however, 
mostly  a  surface  feeder  and  dotes  on  flies,  grass- 
hoppers, insects,  worms,  small  minnows,  and  even 
small  frogs. 

TROUT    HAS    KEEN    SIGHT 

Undoubtedly,  he  has  the  keenest  sight  of  any  fish, 
and  evidently  he  watches  his  prey  before  it  strikes 
the  water,  as  he  will  close  his  jaws  on  a  fly  the  in- 
stant it  hits  the  water,  often  leaping  up  and  catching 
it  on  the  wing.  It's  a  pretty  good  guess  that  he 
watches  the  flies  or  insects  as  they  fly  over  the  water, 
and  this  same  sight  makes  it  necessary  for  the  rod 
wielder  to  match  his  wits  against  those  of  Mr.  B. 
Trout. 

Trout  are  caught  with  artificial  flies,  grasshoppers, 
worms,  minnows,  crickets,  grubs  and  almost  any 
small  insects  that  are  found  along  streams,  and  also 
with  very  small  spoons.  When  fishing  with  a  fly  it 
should  be  kept  in  motion,  imitating  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  movements  of  a  fly  that  has  dropped  on 
the  surface  and  is  struggling  to  rise  again.  This 
can  be  accomplished  by  a  slight  broken  twitching  of 
the  wrist.  When  a  trout  takes  the  fly,  strike  quickly, 
but  not  with  a  heavy  jerk,  as  only  a  slight  move  of 
the  wrist  is  necessary.  In  taking  a  fly  he  snaps  his 
jaws  together  over  the  fly,  but  is  quick  to  throw 
out  the  artificial  feathery  substitute  for  a  square 
meal. 


HIS  MAJESTY  THE  BROOK  TROUT        69 
LOT   DEPENDS   ON   ROD   WORK 

The  sport  begins  with  a  rush  right  after  you  hook 
your  fish,  and  you  sure  have  to  work  your  gray  mat- 
ter before  you  can  creel  a  trout.  He  seems  to  know 
every  rift,  rooted  hold,  snag  or  windfall  in  the 
stream,  and  you've  got  to  keep  your  mind  on  the 
game  to  keep  him  from  reaching  cover,  which  means 
a  lost  fish  and  a  snagged  line.  Let  your  rod  do  most 
of  the  work  —  that's  what  a  good  fly  rod  is  for  — 
keep  your  line  tight,  and  at  no  time  give  any  slack, 
as  the  trout  may  not  be  securely  hooked  and  a  slack 
line  gives  him  a  chance  to  cough  out  the  fly.  You 
will  find  the  trout  is  more  quickly  landed  if  worked 
downstream,  especially  with  a  large  fish,  as  the  cur- 
rent is  in  your  favor.  Keep  the  rod  well  up  and  the 
line  shortened,  as  a  short  line  gives  better  control 
over  the  fish,  and  you  need  every  extra  bit  of  ad- 
vantage, because  the  sole  object  of  the  trout  is  to 
'get  away,  and  at  that  game  he  is  some  little  getter. 

FISH    UP   AND    DOWN    STREAM 

If  you  are  fishing  a  slow-running  stream  it  is  best 
to  fish  upstream,  and  on  swift-running  streams  fish 
down,  making  it  a  point  to  walk  around  pools  and 
fish  them  from  the  lower  end  up  to  the  head.  In 
fishing  upstream  the  fly  comes  quickly  down  with  the 
current;  this  can  be  slowed  up  by  casting  diagonally 
up  and  across.  In  fishing  a  riffles  or  broken  water 


70      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

cast  from  below,  as  the  trout  heads  upstream  in 
swift  waters  and  is  not  as  likely  to  lamp  you.  In 
fishing  a  very  small  stream,  where  casting  is  prac- 
tically impossible  owing  to  the  brush,  the  flies  can  be 
guided  twenty  to  thirty  feet  ahead  by  the  rod  and 
run  into  every  likely  spot  and  nook,  as  the  current 
and  rod  do  the  work,  taking  the  fly  around  rocks  and 
eddies,  where  the  fkli  lie  awaiting  the  natural  flies 
and  insects  as  they  float  downstream. 

TROUT   GORGE   ANGLEWORMS 

Early  in  the  season  the  common  angleworm  is 
considered  a  delicacy  by  the  trout  and  if  this  bait  is 
floated  downstream  under  a  shelving  bank  or  around 
a  log,  which  makes  an  ideal  hiding  place  for  trout, 
it's  a  twenty-to-one  shot  that  another  fish  will  be 
added  to  the  creel.  Hook  the  worm  so  that  the 
entire  hook  is  covered,  using  a  No.  6  or  8  snelled 
hook.  Always  fish  downstream  with  worms,  as  the 
natural  action  of  the  current  carries  the  worms  down 
stream.  Let  the  bait  float  from  about  thirty  feet 
above  the  spot  where  you  anticipate  the  trout  are 
lying  and  throw  in  the  shut-off  on  all  noise. 

Do  not  try  to  exceed  the  speed  limit,  but  fish  every 
pool  as  you  go  along.  Many  fish  are  missed  through 
hurrying  along  and  fishing  only  the  most  likely  holes. 
The  careful  fisherman  brings  home  the  best  creel,  and 
care  with  a  cap  "  C  "  is  the  big  thing  in  fishing  for 
the  crafty,  gamy  trout. 


RAINBOWS  AND  BROWNS 

When  it  comes  to  trouting,  Old  Timer,  the  little 
old  native  brook  trout  holds  a  warmer  place  in  the 
heart  of  the  average  fly  tosser  than  either  the  rain- 
bow or  the  brown,  but  as  a  general  thing  these  last 
named  fins  grow  to  a  huskier  size  than  the  brook 
trout  and  with  the  added  weight  and  the  regular 
trout  instinct  they  put  up  as  fancy  a  fight  as  any  angler 
could  wish  for.  And  they  have  one  little  trick  that 
the  brook  trout  seldom,  if  ever,  pulls  and  that  is  the 
leaping  out  of  the  water  on  a  slack  line,  just  about 
the  same  kind  of  a  leap  as  the  bass  and  particularly 
the  brown  trout  pulls,  the  same  all-body  shake  of  the 
bronze  backer.  For  that  one  little  old  trick  we  gotta 
give  'em  credit,  it's  the  snappy  unexpected  leap  out 
of  the  water  that  puts  the  pep  into  the  sport  and 
makes  the  fisherman  keep  his  mind,  eye  and  hands 
in  the  game. 

BROWNIE   A    HARDY    FISH 

The  brown  trout  is  a  hardier  fish  than  the  'brook 
trout  and  for  that  reason  has  been  stocked  in  streams 
that  have  become  too  sluggish  and  warm  for  the 
brook.  This  change  in  temperature  of  the  waters 
is  due  to  the  cutting  out  of  timber  and  in  many 
streams  the  waters  have  warmed  up  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  the  native  trout  have  passed  to  the  happy 


72       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

fishing  waters.  Many  streams  of  this  character  if 
stocked  with  the  brown  brothers  would  in  a  short 
time  make  fishing  in  them  sport  of  the  highest  class. 
The  brown  trout  is  a  killer  and  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  planted  in  streams  in  which  the  native  brook 
trout  held  domain,  and  then  routed  this  little  sport 
out  of  his  home  waters  has  in  a  way  given  him  a  bad 
name  with  some  of  the  frat,  but  plant  him  in  waters 
that  have  been  deserted  by  the  brook  and  you  will 
be  surprised  at  his  rapid  growth  and  the  amount  of 
kick  he  develops  in  his  tail  in  a  few  years.  He  tacks 
on  weight  like  an  off-season  ball  player,  running  up  a 
score  of  about  a  pound  a  year,  which  sizes  him  up 
well  in  a  short  time. 

While  the  larger  brown  boys  are  generally  found 
in  the  deeper  water  and  the  pools,  which  is  often  the 
hiding  place  of  the  larger  brook  trout,  the  smaller 
fins  of  the  tribe  weighing  around  the  one-  to  three- 
pound  limit  are  found  in  the  swifter  and  more  broken 
waters,  especially  in  the  waters  cut  up  by  rocks  and 
bowlders.  In  this  white  water  he  is  nearly  always 
found  on  the  upper  side  of  the  bowlders,  keenly  on 
the  lookout  for  the  food  as  it  comes  down  stream. 

STRIKES  WITH  GREAT  FORCE 

Although  the  brown  trout  is  not  as  speedy  in  his 
fight  as  the  native  brook  trout,  he  takes  to  the  arti- 
ficial fly  with  a  drive  that  sure  has  some  punch  and 
it  is  often  unnecessary  to  strike  him,  for  the  simple 


RAINBOWS  AND  BROWNS  73 

reason  that  he  has  hooked  himself  in  his  energetic 
wallop  at  the  feathery  fancy  tossed  to  him.  And 
when  he  is  hooked,  Old  Scout,  he  puts  up  a  fight 
right  up  to  the  net  and  then  some.  He  makes  a  long 
steady  fight  and  often  when  brought  to  net  will  start 
out  on  another  round  just  when  you  think  you  have 
him  "  heading  "  in. 

On  water  that  is  not  too  broken  or  swift  give  him 
a  try-out  with  the  dry-fly,  especially  in  fishing  the 
pools  and  deeper  water.  In  the  fast  white  water 
the  wet-fly  fishing  will  be  found  more  effective;  in 
fact,  it  is  almost  an  impossibility  to  really  fish  an 
entirely  dry-fly  on  such  waters,  and  you'll  save  time 
and  cussin'  by  starting  in  with  the  wet  riggin'. 

The  rainbow  trout,  like  the  brown,  feels  entirely 
at  home  in  the  warmer  waters  of  the  streams  that 
have  been  passed  up  by  the  brook  trout,  and  he  dotes 
on  minnows  and  the  insects  he  can  forage  from  the 
surface.  To  him,  a  grasshopper  is  a  dainty  morsel 
and  many  of  the  big  ones  have  been  tricked  into  the 
creel  by  the  wise  angler  who  hooks  on  a  lively  hopper 
and  casts  it  the  same  as  a  feathery  fly,  letting  it  float 
with  the  current  in  a  natural  manner  and  not  trying 
to  liven  it  up  with  a  bunch  of  jerks  in  an  effort  to 
fool  the  wise  old  fellows. 

RAINBOW   A    SPEEDY   FIGHTER 

The  rainbow  carries  more  speed  in  his  make-up 
than  the  brown  trout,  making  a  faster  fight  in  every 


74       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

way;  fact  is,  his  battle  with  the  fly  resembles  the  fight 
of  the  native  brook  trout  far  more  than  that  of  the 
brown  boys.  About  the  first  thing  he  does  when 
hooked  is  to  go  up  into  the  air,  both  figuratively  and 
leapingly  speaking,  and  his  leap  is  a  thing  of  beauty, 
way  up  out  of  the  water,  generally,  and  at  this  point 
of  the  game  many  of  them  depart  to  other  waters, 
having  passed  up  the  fly  on  the  way. 

The  rainbow  is  a  voracious  cuss  and  speedier  to 
accept  an  invitation  to  strike  than  either  the  brown 
or  native  trout,  whether  you  offer  him  the  fly,  min- 
now, spinner  or  the  small  rubber  artificial  minnows. 
Early  in  the  season  the  worm,  scorned  by  many 
fishermen  as  the  "  garden  hackle,"  makes  'em  sit  up 
on  their  tail  and  take  notice,  although  later  the  flies 
and  minnows  are  the  most  attractive  lures.  The 
fellow  who  usually  howls  with  horror  when  you  men- 
tion worms  in  the  same  breath  with  trout,  is  gener- 
ally the  cherub  who  sneaks  out  alone  with  a  nice 
bait-can  full  of  the  wigglers  and  proceeds  to  play  a 
little  solitaire  on  the  stream.  In  the  early  season  the 
worm  with  the  usual  light  trouting  tackle  is  no  kid's 
bait  for  trout;  many  a  sure-enough  fisherman  finds  it 
necessary  to  play  the  game  with  his  utmost  skill  and 
knowledge  of  the  trout  to  coax  'em  into  the  creel 
even  on  worms. 

In  a  selection  of  flies  for  the  rainbow  and  brown 
trout,  the  usual  flies  used  for  the  native  brook  are 
effective,  playing  up  strong  on  the  hackles,  making 


RAINBOWS  AND  BROWNS  75 

it  a  point  to  include  a  March  Brown  and  a  McGinty. 
The  tackle  for  the  big  fellows  can  be  a  bit  stronger 
than  that  for  the  brook  trout  and  still  be  in  the  light 
tackle  class,  say  a  ten-foot,  six-ounce  fly-rod  and  a 
strong  leader  for  the  fight  with  the  husky  boys  in  the 
swift  waters,  or  the  old  grand-daddy  of  the  deep 
pool. 


FLY-CASTING  FOR  BASS 

Going  after  the  husky  bass  with  the  light  fly  rod 
is  sure  the  right  system  of  fishing,  if  you  have  a  desire 
to  cultivate  the  tingling  nerves  and  the  thumping 
pulse.  Nothing  in  the  game  will  give  you  more 
thrills  than  to  have  a  two-  or  three-pound  bass  take 
the  feathers  and  then  try  to  shake  'em  loose  —  that 
is,  of  course,  if  you  are  handling  the  working  end 
of  the  rod.  And  if  this  old  bass  is  a  stream-raised 
fellow,  he  will  give  you  more  fight  than  any  other 
fish,  weight  for  weight. 

A  knowledge  of  the  waters  to  be  fished  and  an 
understanding  of  the  haunts  and  habits  of  the  bass 
are  more  essential  when  fishing  for  him  with  the  fly 
than  in  any  other  angle  of  the  sport.  Casting  for 
the  bass  in  the  deep  waters  when  he  is  in  the  shallows 
will  simply  give  you  practice ;  you  must  know  the  time 
of  year  when  he  haunts  the  deep  pools,  and  when  he 
is  found  in  the  shallows,  and  this  working  knowledge 
only  comes  from  study  and  observation. 

STREAM    FISHING    SOME    SPORT 

Wading  a  stream  and  whipping  the  water  in  a 
semicircle  as  you  go  along  is  far  more  enjoyable  than 
lake  fly-casting,  and  at  the  same  time  a  stream  that 

76 


FLY-CASTING  FOR  BASS  77 

can  be  waded  makes  about  the  best  kind  of  bass 
water  for  the  use  of  the  fly.  The  shallow  pools 
above  and  below  riffles  or  rapids  is  a  likely  spot  for 
the  hungry  bass  as  well  as  the  eddies  along  the  sides 
of  rapids.  Cast  into  the  swirl  of  water  as  it  passes 
around  a  bowlder,  and  off  the  edge  of  the  windfalls, 
logs  and  brush  heaps,  all  of  which  locations  are 
generally  the  loafing  place  of  a  fine  old  bass. 

In  lake  fishing  with  the  fly  the  bright,  sunny  day  is 
not  for  you.  The  bass  rise  to  the  fly  particularly  on 
a  day  when  the  surface  is  broken  by  a  slight  breeze, 
and  the  best  time  for  casting  is  in  the  early  morning 
and  late  in  the  evening.  From  sunset  to  dark  is  the 
best  time  when  the  day  has  been  bright  —  in  fact, 
most  any  day.  On  the  lake  cast  your  fly  inshore  on 
the  bars  and  shallows  or  ledges  and  off  the  edges  of 
lily  pads,  rushes  and  weed  beds,  as  well  as  alongside 
the  half-submerged  logs  and  windfalls  along  shore. 
The  fly  should  be  allowed  to  sink  considerably  and  a 
slightly  jerky  crawl  given  to  it  when  working  in  the 
line.  This  is  done  to  fool  the  bass  into  believing 
the  object  of  the  fly-maker's  art  is  a  struggling  insect 
trying  to  get  out  of  the  wet.  Whether  it  fools  'em 
or  not  is  something  I  don't  know,  but  I  think  they 
strike  it  out  of  curiosity  more  than  anything  else.  I 
have  seen  the  greenest  beginner  take  a  whirl  at  toss- 
ing the  feathery  morsels  and  by  using  care  and  judg- 
ment in  the  approach,  land  some  fine  bass,  although 
at  the  time  he  did  not  know  what  motions  the  fly 


78       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

was  taking  at  any  one  time.  But  he  did  know  and 
realize  that  the  bass  is  a  wise  old  bird  and  that  you 
have  to  go  at  him  on  the  gumshoe  order  if  you  expect 
to  land  him  on  a  fly. 

BETTER  TO   FISH   DOWNSTREAM 

On  a  stream  it  is  preferable  to  fish  downstream, 
as  the  bass  lie  with  the  head  upstream,  and  with  the 
current  carrying  your  fly  on  its  natural  course  the 
bass  have  more  chance  to  see  it  and  thus  become  a 
possible  candidate  for  the  creel.  Then  again,  it  is 
far  easier  to  wade  downstream  than  it  is  to  go  up. 

For  dark  days  and  early  evening  use  light-colored 
flies,  and  for  the  bright  days  the  darker  flies. 
Smaller  flies  of  a  subdued  color  tied  on  a  No.  6  or  7 
hook  is  right  for  low,  clear  water  on  a  bright  day, 
while  for  after  sunset  and  moonlight  casting  the  gray, 
white  and  brown  flies  tied  on  a  larger  hook,  a  No. 
2  or  4  size,  are  more  likely  to  attract  the  fish  than 
the  smaller  ones.  For  rough  and  turbid  water  the 
brightly  colored  feathers  are  best.  In  selecting  your 
flies  don't  overlook  the  black,  brown  and  gray 
hackles;  you  will  often  find  that  the  old  reliable 
hackles  will  bring  a  rise  after  you  have  tried  every 
other  combination  in  your  fly  book. 

THE    FLIES   YOU    USE 

Nearly  every  fellow  that  whips  the  light  fly  rod 
has  his  own  particular  selection  of  flies,  and  by  these 


FLY-CASTING  FOR  BASS  79 

he  swears  like  a  pagan;  however,  for  the  beginner 
the  following  selection,  besides  the  hackles,  will  give 
a  fairly  varied  assortment  that  will  pass  muster  until 
he  creels  the  first  fish,  and  the  fly  used  at  that  time 
will  no  doubt  be  given  the  place  of  honor  in  his  pet 
list.  I  have  found  these  flies  creel  fillers:  Queen 
of  the  Waters,  Lord  Baltimore,  Montreal,  Grizzly 
King,  Coachman,  Professor,  Red  Ibis,  Seth  Green, 
White  Miller,  King  of  the  Water,  Ferguson,  Mc- 
Ginty,  Emerson  Hough,  Silver  Doctor  and  Parman- 
chee  Belle.  Here  are  flies  of  enough  variety  in  color 
for  all  kinds  of  water  and  as  you  make  up  your  own 
list  you  will  find  that  many  of  the  above  will  be  re- 
tained, as  they  have  made  good  from  the  start  with 
many  fishermen. 

KEEP   OUT   OF    SIGHT 

One  of  the  essentials  in  bassing  with  the  fly  is  to 
keep  out  of  sight  of  the  fish  as  much  as  possible. 
The  bass  is  every  bit  as  scary  as  the  trout,  although 
once  he  sees  you  he  will  not  dart  away  and  disappear 
like  the  trout,  but  will  dash  off  a  little  distance  and 
stop,  facing  you.  However,  don't  waste  time  trying 
to  make  him  take  your  fly,  because  he  has  a  case  of 
"  nerves  "  and  you  can  cast  it  right  over  his  nose  and 
he  merely  gives  it  a  disinterested  glance.  On  the 
small  bass  streams  keep  entirely  out  of  sight  and  on 
the  wider  waters  make  a  long  cast;  the  finer  the 
water,  the  more  caution  and  the  longer  the  cast.  On 


8o       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

casting  from  the  shore  it  is  well  to  be  screened  by 
bushes  or  any  natural  formation.  Wading  is  the 
best  method,  however,  as  the  nearer  you  are  to  the 
water  the  less  chance  the  fish  have  of  seeing  you, 
and  even  at  that  you  should  be  as  quiet  as  possible 
and  make  it  a  point  to  avoid  quick  or  sudden  moves. 
Cast  your  flies  as  lightly  as  possible,  avoid  letting 
them  land  with  a  splash  by  slightly  raising  the  tip 
of  the  rod  just  before  they  touch  the  water,  and  let 
the  current  help  you  by  allowing  the  flies  to  run  with 
it. 


ON  FISHING  THE  DRY-FLY 

Without  a  doubt,  Old  Scout,  learning  to  cast  the 
dry  or  floating  fly  is  the  post-graduate  study  in  the 
fine  art  of  fishing  and  there  is  more  real  enjoyment 
in  coaxing  the  wise  old  trout  into  the  creel  by  this 
method  than  any  other  angle  of  the  sport.  All  the 
knowledge  you  have  gained  through  study  of  the 
habits  of  the  trout  in  your  wet-fly  casting  will  stand 
you  well  as  a  beginner  at  this  end  of  the  game. 

Dry-fly  casting  comes  to  us  from  England,  where 
it  is  practiced  to  a  finish,  and  as  the  sport  has  been 
adopted  here,  changes  have  been  made  in  the  manner 
of  using  the  dry-fly,  occasioned  by  the  difference  in 
the  streams  of  this  country  and  England.  In  that 
country  it  is  the  custom  to  cast  to  a  rising  trout,  or 
at  a  point  where  a  trout  is  expected  to  rise,  and  on 
the  placid,  slow,  smooth-running  waters  of  England 
this  can  be  done  with  success,  while  over  here  the 
swifter  running  waters  in  which  we  find  the  wiley 
trout  are  not  so  adaptable  for  casting  to  the  rise. 
The  dry-fly  caster  generally  fishes  all  the  water,  as  in 
wet-fly  casting.  In  fact,  in  fishing  a  stream  the 
quieter  pools  and  stretches  can  be  worked  with  the 
dry-fly,  and  the  more  broken  and  white  water  given 
over  to  the  wet-fly.  In  this  way  a  stream  can  be 

81 


Sz      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

whipped  with  more  success  and  pleasure  than  by 
either  one  of  the  methods  alone. 

ALL   KINDS   OF   WATER 

Most  of  our  trout  fishing  is  on  streams  in  the 
woods  or  wilderness  where  the  waters  alternate  be- 
tween rapids  and  smooth  spots,  waterfall  and  deep 
pool,  shallows  or  riffles,  and  one  could  follow  a 
stream  all  day  without  lamping  a  trout  on  the  rise 
for  food,  so  that  if  he  were  fishing  in  the  orthodox 
English  way,  bacon  fried  to  a  crisp  would  about  make 
up  his  evening  meal.  This  accounts  for  the  fact  that 
we  have  changed  the  dope  a  bit  and  fish  the  dry-fly 
more  as  a  floating  fly  without  the  added  effort  of 
tossing  the  feathers  into  the  mouth  of  the  waiting 
trout  and  tickling  him  to  death. 

On  a  very  civilized  stream  that  has  been  fished 
to  a  fare-you-well  by  all  manner  of  fishermen,  where 
the  trout  have  wised  up  to  tricks  of  the  game,  the 
dry-fly  will  get  a  rise  when  the  wet-fly  would  merely 
cause  a  wink  of  the  weather  eye. 

In  casting  the  dry-fly  the  fisherman  works  up- 
stream, casting  slightly  across  the  current,  so  that  the 
floating  fly  will  ride  down  with  the  current,  and  a 
very  essential  detail  is  to  cast  lightly  and  accurately, 
while  it  is  not  necessary  to  cast  as  long  a  line  as  in 
wet-fly  casting.  The  whole  game  is  to  have  the  fly 
float  down  as  naturally  as  possible,  and  it  requires 
considerable  skill  in  the  handling  of  the  rod  and  the 


ON  FISHING  THE  DRY-FLY  83 

reeling  in  of  slack  to  keep  the  fly  from  being  pulled 
under  the  water  by  the  weight  of  a  slack  line  or 
through  some  other  rough  work  of  the  caster. 

HORIZONTAL   CAST  THE   BEST 

Wherever  possible,  the  horizontal  cast  should  be 
used  in  preference  to  the  overhead  cast,  as  the  fly  is 
more  likely  to  land  right  side  up  with  the  wings 
cocked.  While  more  accuracy  and  distance  are  ob- 
tained by  the  overhead  cast,  these  things  are  not  as 
essential  in  dry-fly  casting  as  having  the  fly  ride  the 
water  in  a  natural  manner.  As  a  general  thing  the 
fly  lights  on  the  water  on  its  side  when  the  overhead 
cast  is  used,  and  although  a  trout  will  rise  to  a  float- 
ing fly  in  this  position,  the  chances  are  greater  for 
a  rise  when  the  fly  lies  on  the  water  in  the  position 
naturally  taken  by  a  live  insect  with  its  wings  flutter- 
ing above  the  water  in  its  effort  to  rise  from  the 
surface. 

In  casting  a  smooth  stretch  of  water  there  is  little 
if  any  drag  of  the  line,  and  the  fly  will  float  in  an 
upright  position  if  cast  skillfully  in  the  first  place. 

In  the  early  season,  when  the  water  is  high  and 
discolored  by  flooded  conditions,  the  trout  are  bottom 
or  midwater  feeding,  and  at  this  time  the  dry-fly  is 
of  little  use  on  the  streams.  As  soon  as  the  air 
warms  up  a  bit  and  the  insect  life  has  developed  on 
the  streams  and  the  water  clears,  with  the  tempera- 
ture rising  steadily,  the  floating  fly  is  a  sure  winner. 


84       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

From  the  middle  of  May  to  the  end  of  the  season 
the  conditions  grow  more  favorable  to  the  dry-fly, 
and  on  low,  clear  water  at  the  tail  end  of  the  season 
it  is  by  far  the  most  effective  lure. 

On  any  water  that  is  not  broken  by  rapids  or  riffles, 
the  dry-fly  can  be  used  to  advantage,  and  even  on 
waters  that  are  swift  and  rapid  it  will  be  found 
effective. 

STUDY   AND    SKILL   NECESSARY 

One  of  the  main  points  in  casting  the  dry-fly  is  to 
study  the  currents,  as  one  of  the  greatest  little  old 
jinks  to  the  successful  use  of  the  dry-fly  is  the  drag 
caused  by  the  fly  falling  on  water  moving  at  a  speed 
different  from  that  of  the  water  on  which  the  line 
falls.  Select  your  casting  position  where  the  fly  and 
line  will  light  on  water  of  the  same  speed,  so  that 
the  fly  will  not  be  drowned  by  the  drag  of  the  line. 
Another  point  that  will  make  your  dry-fly  work  bet- 
ter at  the  start  is  to  avoid  raising  the  tip  of  the  rod 
as  the  fly  falls  on  the  water,  and  this  is  a  small  point 
that  the  wet-fly  fisherman  has  a  tendency  to  overlook 
through  habit  acquired  in  casting  the  wet  feathers. 
To  raise  the  rod  at  this  time  will  pull  the  dry-fly 
under  water.  At  the  same  time  the  beginner  should 
never  strip  in  the  line  until  the  fly  has  started  down- 
stream with  the  current.  If  you  find  it  necessary  to 
cast  on  waters  of  different  speed  to  the  current,  cast 
a  slack  line,  and  if  the  fly  lights  on  water  moving 


ON  FISHING  THE  DRY-FLY  85 

slower  than  that  on  which  the  line  rests  there  will 
be  no  drag  on  the  fly  until  the  slack  line  has  floated 
downstream.  Make  a  study  of  the  stream  and  the 
trout  and  use  all  your  skill  and  you  will  find  much 
pleasure  in  floating  the  dry-fly. 


BASS  IN  THE  RIVERS  AND  STREAMS 

There  are  many  reasons  for  giving  the  black  bass 
the  title  of  "  gamest  fish  of  fresh  water/'  For  his 
size  and  weight  he  puts  up  as  snappy  a  fight  as  any 
fisherman  could  wish  for.  Take  a  small-mouth  bass 
in  a  swift-running  stream  and  it  will  be  a  case  of 
matching  your  knowledge  of  the  fishing  game  against 
his  keenly  developed  instinct,  and  at  that,  you  have 
to  keep  your  eyes  open  or  he  will  slip  one  over  on 
you  and  break  for  other  waters. 

When  it  comes  to  main  strength  the  bass,  for  its 
size,  carries  a  larger  package  of  that  stuff  than  any 
other  fish.  Often,  when  hooked,  it  will  plunge  to 
the  bottom  and  stick  there  to  a  fare-you-well. 
Nothing  can  budge  him  except  your  strength  against 
his  husky  muscular  development,  and  this  puts  a 
heavy  strain  on  your  tackle  that  often  shows  up  a 
weak  point  in  your  equipment  —  and  then  it's  "  good- 
by  "  bass.  At  times  you  will  think  that  the  bass  has 
edged  into  a  rocky  crevice  and  propped  his  strong 
fins  against  the  sides  to  give  him  leverage,  and  be- 
lieve me,  he  has  sense  enough  to  do  it.  He  is  wise 
enough  to  dart  around  submerged  rocks  and  saw  a 
line  or  gut  leader  on  the  ragged  edges  and  make  his 
getaway.  He  will  often  go  down  to  the  bottom  and 

86 


Where  the  stream  makes  a  bend  and  the  water  speeds  up  a  bit,  form- 
ing eddies  and  back  currents,  you  can  count  on  good,  bass  fishing.  Cast- 
ing among  the  submerged  rocks  at  this  bend  in  the  Wisconsin  River, 
into  the  quieter  water,  added  five  nice  small-mouth  bass  to  the  pack- 
sack. 


Good    streaii:  .ter.      In    the   eddies    and    back-water    :il<mcr«;ide 

of  the  rapids  and  riffle?.  Here's  where  the  bass  kick  around  waiting  ftrr 
the  tail  weary  minnows  that  try  to  fight  the  swifter  waters  and  in  their 
weakened  condition  they  make  easy  feed  for  the  wise  bass.  From  this 
eddy,  seven  ba=s  were  taken  by  casting  down  and  slowly  reeling  in  a 
semi-surface  plug. 


BASS  IN  THE  RIVERS  AND  STREAMS      87 

imitate  a  bull  pup,  giving  a  series  of  short,  snappy 
jerks  until  something  gives  in  the  tackle  line. 

ONE   OF    HIS   MANY   TRICKS 

One  of  his  stock  tricks  is  to  watch  your  line,  and 
the  moment  he  gets  a  little  slack,  up  out  of  the  water 
he  jumps,  giving  a  shake  that  would  make  a  fair- 
sized  "  musky  "  turn  green  with  envy.  This  is  not 
merely  a  shake  of  the  head  such  as  is  stated  by  some 
fishermen,  but  a  strong  jerky  shake  that  brings 
into  play  all  the  muscles  of  his  body.  He  does  not 
stop  at  one  jump,  but  will  leap  repeatedly  into  the 
air,  each  time  giving  a  master  shake  of  his  husky 
body.  After  the  first  leap  you  may  think  you  have 
lost  him  and  start  reeling  in,  when,  20  feet  away 
from  his  first  flop,  up  he  comes  again.  This  is  his 
method  of  showing  an  amateur  how  a  well  developed 
bass  loosens  a  hook  from  his  mouth,  and  unless  you 
reel  in  that  slack  mighty  quick,  he  will  sure  show 
you. 

ON    HIS   WAY   UP-STREAM 

The  bass  is  always  on  the  move  upstream,  which 
is  likely  caused  by  the  scarcity  of  natural  food  in  the 
lower  waters.  He  has  no  love  for  rapids  or  riffles 
and  is  seldom  if  ever  found  in  them,  but  in  the  quieter 
waters  at  the  lower  end  of  a  rapids  or  in  the  eddies 
on  either  side  he  is  right  at  home.  Although  he  does 
not  like  the  rougher,  swifter  waters  of  the  rapids  and 


88       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

riffles,  he  will  often  dash  into  their  frothy  edge  in 
pursuit  of  minnows,  returning  at  once  to  the  quieter 
water.  He  will  also  dash  into  very  shallow  water 
after  some  of  the  small  fry,  often  in  water  so  low 
that  his  dorsal  fin  is  entirely  out  of  the  water,  return- 
ing instantly,  however,  to  the  deeper  water  with  his 
catch.  In  his  up-stream  migration  he  will  often  loaf 
in  pools  below  the  rougher,  shallower  waters  of  the 
riffles  until  rainy  weather  raises  the  water  and  makes 
swimming  better  for  him.  Right  after  high  water 
makes  poor  fishing  in  most  cases,  as  the  bass  have 
gone  up  stream  to  new  localities,  and  as  the  new 
feeding  grounds  are  generally  alive  with  eats  carried 
down  by  the  current,  this  gives  him  a  period  of  easy 
feeding.  As  a  rule  the  bass  does  most  of  his  feed- 
ing in  the  shallows  or  below  riffles,  going  to  the  deep 
pools  for  rest  and  digestion  of  his  overfilled  feedbag, 
at  which  time  it  is  very  difficult  to  coax  him  with  any 
lure  or  bait. 

SPORTS    IN   THE   MOONLIGHT 

On  a  moonlight  night  the  bass  can  be  seen  jump- 
ing up  out  of  the  water,  having  a  general  good  time, 
just  like  a  bunch  of  kids  in  the  old  "  swimmin'  hole." 
They  are  good  night  feeders  and  are  generally  close 
to  the  surface  at  that  time.  That  they  come  to  the 
surface  at  night  was  shown  to  me  in  a  striking  man- 
ner a  few  years  ago.  While  frogging  one  night 
above  a  riffles  in  the  Mahoning  River  in  eastern 


BASS  IN  THE  RIVERS  AND  STREAMS      89 

Ohio,  I  was  slowly  rowing  across  the  river  when 
something  flopped  into  the  boat  behind  me.  After  a 
few  exciting  moments  of  considerable  activity  the 
flopper  proved  to  be  a  324-P°und  large-mouth  bass, 
and  the  following  night  in  practically  the  same  spot, 
another  bass,  larger  by  half  a  pound,  flopped  into 
the  boat  while  the  wife  was  piloting  a  bunch  of 
suffragettes  on  a  hunt  for  a  mess  of  frogs.  Later  I 
fished  this  stretch  of  water  with  a  moonlight  Mascot 
wobbler  and  caught  quite  a  few  strings  of  fine  bass, 
particularly  fine,  I  thought,  for  such  "  civilized " 
waters. 

Bass  fishing  in  the  streams,  rivers  and  lakes  will 
be  better  each  year,  as  the  steady  stocking  of  all 
civilized  waters  and  the  rapid  increase  of  the  fish, 
as  well  as  the  adaptability  of  the  large-mouth  to  all 
waters,  means  good  bass  fishing,  which  is  a  keen 
sport  for  anyone. 


COIN'  AFTER  MUSKY 

So  you're  out  for  the  big  ones,  the  "  tiger"  of  the 
waters,  the  great  old  rascal  that  makes  'em  all  sit  up 
and  doff  the  lid.  You've  bassed,  trouted,  and  piked 
and  panned  a  bit,  now  you  feel  like  taking  a  whirl  at 
the  boss  of  the  tribe,  caused  no  doubt  by  the  many 
tales  that  have  been  spun  about  this  Villa  of  the 
weedbeds.  No  matter  how  harrowing  the  tale  may 
be,  Old  Man,  the  muskellunge  is  guilty  of  everything 
that  has  been  said  about  him.  And  at  that  he  still 
has  a  deck  full  of  tricks  he  has  never  sprung  on  the 
countless  Waltons  who  try  to  give  him  the  once-over. 
He  has  caused  more  nervous  prostration  than  the 
bright  lights,  and  take  it  from  me,  hooking  a  20-  or 
3O-pound  musky  unawares  is  no  game  for  a  nervous 
player.  From  the  moment  of  the  strike,  it's  a  case 
of  your  wits  against  those  of  the  musky,  and  you've 
got  to  think  fast  or  you'll  find  yourself  reeling  in  a 
slack  line,  with  the  musky  doing  the  famous  fade- 
away. 

The  musky  is  a  vicious  cuss  and  he  sure  looks  the 
part.  He  has  a  pair  of  jaws  set  with  a  bunch  of 
sharp  saw-like  teeth  that  would  make  a  shark  jealous, 
the  lower  jaw  projecting  beyond  the  upper,  giving 

90 


Mrs.  J.   G.  McCarthy,  of  Chicago,  Illinios,  with  a  38-pound  muskel- 

lunge  she  landed,  unassisted,  on  Sept.  25,   \(>\b,  in  Big  Lake  St.  Germain, 

:isin.      This    is    one    of    the    largest    musky    on    record    having    been 

landed  by  a  woman,  with   light  bass  tackle.     The  lure  used  was  a   X".  (; 

Skinner  Spoon,  the  rod  a  six-ounce  affair,  and  the  big  fin  fought  twenty- 

inutes  before  he  was  willing  to  give  in  to  the  tackle  skill  of   Mrs. 

McCarthy. 


COIN'  AFTER  MUSKY  91 

him  a  wolf-like  appearance,  and  he  certainly  is  a  wolf 
by  nature.  He  feeds  on  all  fish  smaller  than  him- 
self, even  his  own  kind,  and  is  not  adverse  to  gobbling 
up  a  young  duck  or  other  aquatic  bird  that  happens 
to  pass  his  way.  He  will  strike  at  most  anything 
moving  in  the  water,  and  once  hooked  he  will  put  up 
a  thrilling  and  savage  fight  equaled  by  no  other 
fresh-water  fish. 

WHERE    TO    FIND    HIM 

His  favorite  haunt  is  in  about  5  to  15  feet  of 
water  near  the  weeds,  water  lilies  or  grass  that  grow 
in  the  water,  or  alongside  of  submerged  rocks.  He 
is  a  solitary  fellow,  doesn't  make  any  friends,  but 
just  lies  around  waiting  for  a  piece  of  food  to  go 
swimming  by,  then  makes  a  lightninglike  dart,  snaps 
his  powerful  jaws  shut  on  his  victim  and  swims  back 
to  his  station  and  gorges  the  eats,  ready  in  a  minute 
to  make  another  foray.  He  always  strikes  a  fish  or 
lure  sideways,  and  there  is  no  special  time  when  he 
is  feeding;  fact  is,  he  seems  to  be  hungry  all  the  time, 
although  he  is  more  active  from  eight  to  eleven  in 
the  morning  and  from  four  until  dark.  When  the 
water  is  slightly  roughened*  by  the  wind  and  break- 
ing in  small  waves  or  when  the  day  is  overcast,  makes 
good  musky  weather,  although  he  may  surprise  you 
and  strike  your  lure  while  you  are  trolling  into  shore 
to  make  a  landing  for  the  noonday  lunch,  and  a  sud- 
den strike  of  a  musky  is  sure  a  shocker. 


92       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

THE   BEST   TIME 

Musky  fishing  is  very  good  in  June,  unless  the 
season  is  extremely  cold  and  backward.  Towards 
the  tail  end  of  July  it  slows  up  considerably,  while 
August  is  the  poorest  month  for  the  big  chief.  Dur- 
ing "  dog  days  "  his  teeth  are  in  poor  shape  and 
you  can  hardly  coax  a  strike  out  of  him  unless  he 
feels  so  down  in  the  mouth  and  mean  that  he  strikes 
from  pure  cussedness.  Like  a  snake  shedding  its 
skin  and  the  deer  its  horns,  the  musky  loses  its  teeth 
in  August,  but  nature  packs  in  a  new  set  by  the  first 
of  September  and  the  old  boy  is  in  a  fine  fighting 
humor  for  that  month.  By  far  the  best  musky  fish- 
ing is  to  be  had  in  September  and  October,  when 
the  chill  night  air  seems  to  fill  them  with  an  extra 
supply  of  pep  for  the  food  hunt  the  next  day.  Even 
up  into  November  is  not  too  late  for  the  big  ones, 
but  for  downright  good  musky  fishing  it  is  hard  to 
beat  September  and  October. 

STRIKES    IN   SNOWSTORM 

A  few  seasons  ago  a  well-known  fisherman  who 
has  wet  his  line  from  Alaska  to  the  Florida  Keys 
caught  a  38-pound  musky  late  in  October  in  northern 
Wisconsin  in  a  blinding  snowstorm.  The  wind  was 
blowing  a  half  gale  and  the  strike  was  made  on  the 
final  cast  before  running  in  to  camp  before  the 
storm.  It  was  some  game  to  land  this  husky 


COIN'  AFTER  MUSKY  93 

"  granddaddy  "  of  the  bunch;  the  cold  waters  keyed 
him  up  to  the  highest  pitch  and  he  made  a  series  of 
rushes  and  dives  that  took  keen  work  to  hold  him, 
while  his  breaks  from  the  water  included  a  bunch 
of  musky  tricks  unheard  of  in  the  fish  caught  during 
the  warmer  days  of  summer  and  early  fall.  The 
air  was  so  cold  that  after  bringing  the  musky  to 
gafi  the  fisherman's  hands  were  actually  stiffened  on 
to  the  rod. 

TROLL  AND   CAST 

In  the  past  most  of  the  boys  have  contented 
themselves  with  trolling  for  the  musky,  but  the  real 
sport  of  the  game  is  to  cast  for  them,  using  the  same 
method  as  that  of  casting  for  bass.  In  trolling  for 
musky  a  silk  braided  line  of  20  to  30  pounds  test 
is  about  right,  while  a  six-thread  Cuttyhunk  linen 
line  is  preferred  by  some.  For  a  trolling  lure  the 
spoon  hook  holds  first  place  and  is  no  doubt  the 
best  little  all-around  bait.  Use  a  chub,  shiner,  black 
sucker  or  pork  rind  with  a  spoon  as  an  added  at- 
traction, and  if  this  don't  seem  to  make  'em  curious, 
put  a  strip  of  red  flannel  about  six  inches  long  on  the 
hooks  and  let  that  wiggle  through  the  water  a  bit 
as  an  enticer.  Some  mighty  fine  ones  have  been 
caught  with  this  rig.  Most  beginners  load  the  line 
with  a  whopping  big  spoon,  even  up  to  No.  12  size. 
Keep  her  down,  Old  Man,  to  a  No.  4  or  No.  6  for 
the  single  spoon,  and  No.  3  or  No.  4  for  the  tandem 


94       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

style.  For  a  good  stiff  rod  for  the  beginner  make 
it  a  steel  one,  and  the  No.  33  Bristol  will  fill  the  bill 
for  either  casting  or  trolling  for  the  musky.  Of 
course  if  you  are  a  double-dyed  expert  you  can  use 
your  lighter  rod  and  tackle,  but  unless  one  is  an  ex- 
pert at  handling  the  lighter  tackle  he  had  better  stick 
to  the  slightly  heavier  stuff  and  feel  more  sure  of 
the  fish.  A  musky  can  sure  make  a  fine  outfit  look 
like  a  junk  shop  if  it's  handled  by  an  inexperienced 
fisherman.  Troll  in  water  about  8  to  12  feet  deep, 
off  the  edges  of  the  weedbeds  and  over  the  under- 
water weeds;  also  off  the  rock  beds  and  points  of 
land  as  well  as  quiet  coves  and  bays.  Keep  your 
rod  straight  out  behind  the  boat;  if  you  hold  it  out 
over  the  side  you  put  a  strain  on  it  that  is  unneces- 
sary and  bad  medicine  for  any  rod. 

In  casting  for  the  musky  keep  the  boat  about  50 
feet  off  the  casting  waters,  moving  the  boat  as  noise- 
lessly as  possible  and  casting  in  towards  the  shore  or 
feeding  grounds.  An  all  white  or  white  and  red 
head  artificial  minnow,  or  spoon  and  pork  rind,  frog 
or  minnow  makes  a  good  casting  lure.  From  the 
strike  the  fight  is  fast  and  gamy  and  you  sure  must 
keep  the  slack  out  of  the  line  or  he'll  do  a  flop  out 
of  the  water  and  corkscrew  back  on  your  line,  which 
means  farewell  to  the  musky. 


HIS  HONOR,  THE  WALL-EYED  PIKE 

Right  at  the  start,  Old  Man,  I  must  tell  you  that 
the  wall-eyed  pike  is  living  under  an  assumed  name. 
His  real  monicker  is  pike-perch,  but  the  boys  have 
sort  of  acquired  the  habit  of  calling  him  wall-eyed 
pike,  and  so  we  let  it  go  at  that.  Fact  is,  however, 
he  is  also  known  as  the  jack-salmon,  glass-eye  pike, 
yellow  pike,  and  blue  pike.  He  probably  fell  heir 
to  these  names  on  account  of  his  habit  of  bumming 
around,  making  no  particular  spot  his  home.  After 
he  fathers  his  spring  family  of  from  one  to  two  hun- 
dred thousand  husky  youngsters,  and  the  little  pikers 
have  learned  to  wag  their  tails,  he  leaves  home  and 
hikes  out  on  a  still  hunt  for  food,  as  he  is  always 
hungry,  having  the  reputation  of  being  the  heaviest 
eater  of  the  fresh-water  fish.  He  lives  almost  en- 
tirely on  other  live  fish,  and  often  eats  his  own 
progeny  to  satisfy  his  lust  for  food. 

Where  you  find  the  wall-eyed  in  good  numbers 
one  day,  does  not  guarantee  that  they  will  congre- 
gate there  the  next.  There  is  no  dope  on  his  route 
and  he  has  no  schedule.  At  times  he  frequents  the 
very  deep  pools  and  the  next  day  he  may  be  lying 

95 


96       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

off  a  shoal  or  sandbar.  No  matter  in  what  depth 
of  water  you  locate  him,  however,  you  will  find  that 
he  is  close  to  the  bottom,  as  he  is  not  a  surface 
feeder. 

WALL-EYE   TRAVELS    IN    SCHOOLS 

He  can  be  coaxed  out  of  the  water  with  live  bait 
such  as  mud  minnows,  chubs,  shiners  or  small  white- 
bellied  frogs,  or  you  can  use  an  underwater  plug 
weighted  with  a  sinker,  or  troll  with  a  spoon.  The 
wall-eyed  seldom  travels  single,  but  invariably  runs 
in  schools,  a  habit  acquired  no  doubt  from  fear  that 
he  may  miss  a  feed.  Where  you  catch  one  you  can 
figure  on  more  fish  from  the  same  spot,  until  they 
hustle  off  to  locate  better  feeding  grounds.  This 
hungry  feeling  makes  him  a  great  little  biter,  and 
said  feeling  has  also  made  him  a  boon  to  the  fisher- 
man, who  can  always  count  on  "  bringing  home  the 
bacon  "  if  he  locates  a  pike  feeding  ground. 

In  the  rivers  he  hangs  out  below  rapids,  dams 
and  log  jams,  where  the  current  is  swift,  gorging  on 
the  minnows,  which  are  easy  prey,  as  they  are  tired 
out. with  their  battle  against  the  swift  currents. 
This  is  a  fine  place  to  cast  for  him,  using  live  or 
artificial  bait,  with  a  fair-sized  dipsey  sinker  to  take 
the  bait  down  deep  in  the  water.  He  also  has  a 
fancy  for  sandbars  in  the  rivers,  and  wading  along 
a  bar,  casting  on  both  sides,  brings  good  results. 


HIS  HONOR,  THE  WALL-EYED  PIKE       97 
TROLL    FOR    HIM   IN    LAKES 

In  the  lakes  you  will  be  more  successful  in  trolling 
for  the  wall-eye.  Live  bait,  plug  or  a  spoon  with  a 
buck-tail  gang  hook  makes  an  atractive  lure  for  him. 
Use  your  bait-casting  rod,  with  a  trolling  tip  to  add 
strength,  and  reel  out  about  a  hundred  feet  of  line. 
Don't  make  the  common  mistake  of  moving  the  boat 
too  speedily;  just  go  along  fast  enough  to  keep  the 
bait  moving  —  about  one  and  a  half  miles  an  hour  is 
right.  When  you  get  a  strike  you  will  notice  the 
difference  between  the  action  of  a  bass  and  a  wall- 
eyed pike.  The  pike  will  give  a  firm  and  decided 
tug  at  the  line,  but  will  not  dash  away  with  the  bait, 
and  right  then  is  the  time  to  strike,  with  a  strong, 
quick  jerk,  as  the  large  amount  of  line  out  makes 
this  necessary.  And  if  that  wall-eye  is  a  ten  or  fif- 
teen pounder,  you  are  due  to  have  as  game  a  piece 
of  "  fish  work  "  on  your  hands  as  you  could  wish  for. 

CAUGHT   A   BIG   ONE   ACCIDENTALLY 

Last  summer  I  was  actually  forced  by  accident  to 
land  a  twelve  and  a  half-pound  wall-eyed  pike,  and 
the  way  this  happened  illustrates  the  fact  that  one 
must  study  the  action  of  the  different  fish,  and  es- 
pecially the  manner  in  which  they  take  bait.  It  was 
a  hot  old  day  in  July  when  a  pal  and  I  were  cross- 
ing Black  Lake  in  northern  Wisconsin,  so  hot,  in 


98       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

fact,  that  I  only  put  a  line  out  after  Earney,  the 
local  fishing  expert,  insisted  that  he  hated  to  waste 
a  minute  on  the  water.  We  were  in  about  thirty 
feet  of  water  when  my  reel  began  to  sing,  but  there 
was  no  other  action,  and,  after  striking,  we  paddled 
back,  thinking  I  was  snagged.  Earney  ran  his 
hand  along  the  line  and  gave  it  a  jerk  to  loosen  it, 
and  right  then  things  sure  opened  up.  Splash  out 
of  the  water,  at  the  side  of  the  canoe,  flashed  the 
pike,  and  down  again  to  the  bottom.  It  was  some 
sport  with  a  light  rod,  a  ten-pound  test  bass  line,  and 
a  husky  wall-eye.  Three  times  I  brought  him  up 
to  the  canoe,  fighting  back  and  forth  without  any 
long  runs,  but  a  continuous  bunch  of  snappy  jerks 
followed  by  dives  to  the  bottom,  before  we  could 
gaff  him. 

NOT   A   SPECTACULAR   FIGHTER 

A  wall-eyed  pike  doesn't  make  the  showy  fight  of 
the  bass.  He  doesn't  show  tHat  race-horse  speed 
stuff  of  cutting  through  the  water,  and  he  doesn't 
fight  as  long,  but  every  one  of  his  jerks  and  twists 
sends  up  your  spine  a  thrill  that  makes  you  feel  like 
a  game  cock  after  you  land  him. 

All  through  the  season  you  can  catch  him,  par- 
ticularly in  June,  July  and  October.  Try  him  out 
on  dull,  cloudy  days  and  in  the  evening,  casting  with 
a  red  Ibis  bass  fly,  weighted,  of  course,  so  that  it 


HIS  HONOR,  THE  WALL-EYED  PIKE       99 

will  sink.  He  is  a  great  night  prowler  and  seems 
mighty  hungry  late  in  the  day.  On  a  moonlight 
night  he  answers  to  the  call  of  an  underwater 
luminous  plug. 


THE  FIRST  PICKEREL 

I  have  brought  to  gaff  a  tuna,  cast  for  grayling  with 

a  Cree, 
Caught  some   small  mouths  that  were   whoppers, 

hauled  a  sword-fish  from  the  sea; 
Roughly  speaking  I  have  angled  ev'ry  fish  that  has 

a  mouth, 
From  the  Arctics  to  the  Tropics  and  a  thousand 

miles  due  South; 
Yet  I  can't  remember  thrilling  just  the  way  that 

once  I  did 
When  I  yanked  that  three-pound  pick'rel  from  the 

creek,  when  but  a  kid! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


JUST  ORDINARY  OL'  PICKEREL 

If  there  is  any  one  of  the  fish  family  that  we  re- 
member from  the  knee-pants  and  bent-pin  stage  of 
the  fishing  game,  it  sure  must  be  OF  Judge  Pickerel 
and  the  young  "  picks."  It  certainly  made  your 
heart  do  a  double-quick  and  started  the  cold  creeps 
up  your  spine  the  first  time  you  hooked  a  pickerel, 
after  a  kindergarten  course  on  chubs  and  sunnies. 

100 


JUST  ORDINARY  OL'  PICKEREL          101 

You  probably  had  a  long  cane  pole  or  a  young  sap- 
ling cut  from  the  nearby  wooded  shore;  anyway, 
from  that  time  on  you  realized  that  there  was  "  some 
sport "  to  the  game.  Since  then,  of  course,  the  ol' 
pickerel  has  sorta  been  dropped  into  the  discard,  and 
it  takes  trout,  bass  or  musky,  perhaps,  to  start  the 
joy  trips  up  along  your  vertebrae.  But  let  me  tip 
you  off  straight:  there's  many  a  good  fighter  left  in 
the  pickerel  outfit,  regardless  of  the  many  slurs  cast 
upon  his  fighting  qualities  by  some  of  the  ultra- 
exclusive  highbrows  in  the  angling  derby. 

FIND    PICKEREL    MOST   ANYWHERE 

The  pickerel  is  one  of  the  fish  that  you  can  fish 
for  nearly  anywhere,  and  you  don't  have  to  make 
a  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  mile  trip  to  his 
home  grounds.  He  is  a  common,  ordinary  cuss  that 
can  pick  up  a  living  on  next  to  nothing,  and  at  the 
same  time  raise  a  mighty  big  family.  In  nearby 
"  civilized  "  waters  he  will  even  make  a  sure-enough 
professional  fisherman  sit  up  and  take  notice  be- 
cause of  his  ability  to  evade  the  bait  and  make  said 
fisherman  use  all  his  skill  and  wits  to  induce  him  to 
take  the  lure.  The  more  he  is  fished  for  the  wiser 
he  gets,  and  to  land  a  few  fair-sized  pickerel  in  much- 
fished  waters  takes  keen  work,  more  so,  in  fact, 
than  for  the  gamer  fish  in  the  usual  fish  haunts  of 
the  North  Woods.  As  a  rule  the  pickerel  found 
in  local  waters  does  not  grow  to  excess  size,  —  say 


102      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

an  average  of  two  or  three  pounds.     Some   are 
larger,  of  course,  but  not  the  general  run. 

WHERE   THE    PICKEREL    HANGS    OUT 

The  pickerel  from  the  running  streams,  like  all 
other  fish,  puts  up  the  best  fight,  while  those  from 
the  warmer  waters  of  the  lakes  and  sluggish  streams 
are  dull  and  slow  fighters.  The  pickerel  is  found 
in  nearly  all  rivers  and  lakes  or  ponds,  his  preference 
being  for  shallow,  grassy  lakes.  His  main  hunting 
grounds  are  along  the  edge  of  lily  and  weed  beds 
and  on  the  outskirts  of  the  grassy  growth  that  is 
often  called  "  pickerel  grass."  Here  he  lurks,  wait- 
ing for  the  smaller  fish  to  swim  past,  often  striking 
his  prey  with  a  snap  of  the  jaws  that  cuts  the  victim 
in  two.  He  is  a  sure-enough  barbarian,  and  is  a 
destroyer  of  the  weaker  fishes,  all  of  which  points 
to  the  fact  that  he  will  be  with  us  for  many  a  day. 
He  is  vicious  to  the  core,  and  at  times  will  strike  a 
trolling  spoon  with  force  enough  to  bend  it  double. 
In  spring-fed  lakes  he  is  often  found  around  the 
spring-holes,  and  deep  fishing  here  will  bring  him 
out.  You  can  feel  reasonably  sure  of  landing  him 
any  time  from  the  first  of  the  season  to  the  wind- 
up,  and  then  take  a  rap  at  him  through  the  ice  in 
winter. 

NEEDS   DENTIST    IN  AUGUST 

August  is  about  the  poorest  month  for  pickerel 
fishing,  caused,  no  doubt,  by  the  soreness  of  the 


JUST  ORDINARY  OL'  PICKEREL          103 

gums,  as  claimed  by  many  of  the  old-timers.  The 
"  musky,"  a  cousin  of  the  pickerel,  loses  his  teeth 
in  August,  while  the  pickerel  itself  has  a  swelling 
of  the  gums  during  dogdays  that  does  not  put  him 
in  a  humor  to  bite  on  anything.  Late  September 
and  early  October  is  about  the  best  all-round  pick- 
erel season,  at  which  time  he  is  found  in  the  shal- 
lows and  at  the  mouth  of  outlets  or  inlets,  where  the 
feed  is  good. 

TROLL   AND   CAST   FOR    HIM 

Although  trolling  is  the  surest  method  of  landing 
the  pickerel,  much  sport  can  be  had  by  casting  for 
him,  using  light  bass  tackle.  A  weedless  hook  with 
a  small  frog,  shiner  or  minnow  for  bait,  and  a 
single  spinner  is  all  you  need.  Row  along  the  weed- 
beds,  about  seventy-five  feet  out,  and  cast  in  toward 
the  edge,  landing  your  bait  about  five  feet  from  the 
edge.  Give  the  pickerel  a  little  time  before  strik- 
ing, as  he  grabs  the  live  bait  and  darts  back  to  his 
lair,  there  to  turn  it  around  in  his  mouth  and  swallow 
it  head  first.  Strike  sharply  and  row  away  from 
the  weeds.  Bear  this  in  mind:  he  may  come  up  to 
the  boat  with  ease,  but  he  makes  his  big  effort  for 
liberty  after  you  bring  him  up  to  the  boat. 

The  usual  way  to  get  him  is  by  trolling  with  a 
spoon  or  spinner.  Take  a  No.  ^/2  tandem 
Slim  Eli  Hildebrandt  Spinner  with  a  treble  hook 
bucktailed  or  feathered,  or  a  No.  4  Skinner  spoon 


104      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

and  you  have  an  excellent  trolling  rig.     A  chunk  of 
pork  rind  adds  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  lure. 

Whatever  the  standing  of  the  pickerel  in  the  sport 
of  fishing,  it  can  be  said  to  his  credit  that  he  has 
gladdened  the  heart  of  many  fishermen  who  could 
not  take  the  time  or  lay  out  the  wad  of  coin  neces- 
sary to  go  after  the  gamer  fish  in  their  native  haunts, 
and  for  this  I  say,  give  the  devil  his  due,  although  a 
good-sized  pickerel  on  very  light  tackle  is  not  to  be 
sneezed  at,  nor  is  getting  him  in  much-fished  waters 
a  child's  trick. 


A  LITTLE  PAN-FISH  FUN 

There's  a  great  big  army  of  little  fish  that  don't 
seem  to  get  the  proper  credit  for  all  the  fun  and 
pleasure  they  have  given  fishermen.  Of  course,  Old 
Man,  a  great  big  chunk  of  this  fun  happened  way 
back  in  the  knee-pants'  stage  of  most  fellows'  fishing 
days,  but  at  that,  when  the  real  game  fellows  are 
off  the  feed  and  prospects  appear  good  for  an  empty 
stringer,  and  it  looks  like  bacon  and  flapjacks  for 
the  evening  meal,  just  toss  out  a  line  and  give  the 
little  fellows  a  nibble  at  your  bait.  These  little  old 
nibblers  include  in  their  ranks  the  crappie,  rock  bass, 
blue  gill,  sunfish  and  yellow  or  striped  perch. 

As  a  pan  fish  you  can't  beat  'em.  Browned  to 
a  turn  in  plenty  of  bacon  grease  or  broiled  over  the 
open  campfire  they  make  a  dish  that  would  cause 
even  J.  D.  to  forget  his  stomach,  and  after  an  hour 
on  the  trail  or  a  particularly  hard  portage,  you  thank 
your  lucky  stars  when  the  feed  bag  has  a  generous 
portion  of  "  little  fellers  "  done  to  a  turn. 

GET   'EM   ANY   OLD   TIME 

Of  course,  they  don't  put  up  a  scream  of  a  fight 
like  their  cousins  the  basses,  but  they  are  accom- 

105 


io6       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

modating  little  cusses  and  bite  any  time  in  the  day 
and  most  any  time  in  the  season,  and  especially  when 
the  real  game  fellows  have  a  tendency  to  overlook 
a  good  thing  in  the  shape  of  bait  or  lure.  Although 
they  only  make  a  short  little  fight,  there's  a  way  of 
fishing  for  them  that  will  give  you  quite  a  bit  of 
fun  and  please  even  the  sure-enough  fisherman  who 
is  seemingly  shocked  when  you  even  mention  pan  fish 
to  him.  Of  course,  most  of  that  disdain  stuff  is 
merely  bull  on  the  part  of  the  fellow  that  hops  up 
m  the  clouds  when  you  mention  little  pannies.  I've 
known  lots  of  'em  to  sneak  out  alone  and  have  a 
piece  of  sport  with  the  "  little  fellers  "  when  they 
thought  no  one  was  watching  and  there  was  no 
chance  of  injuring  their  rep  as  highbrow  anglers. 

LIGHT   FLY   ROD   BEST 

Here  is  the  tackle  that  puts  pep  in  the  pan-fish 
game :  Get  the  lightest,  whippiest  steel  fly  rod  you 
can  find,  about  ten  feet  in  length,  use  an  ordinary 
soft-braided  silk  casting  line  and  a  number  eight  or 
ten  hook,  and  do  a  little  still  fishing.  With  this 
rigging  you  will  be  pleasantly  surprised  at  the  sport 
in  landing  a  fair-sized  panner.  They  start  out  with 
quite  a  showy  fight,  but  it  doesn't  last  long.  How- 
ever, with  this  tackle,  Old  Scout,  they'll  play  better 
and  show  more  spunk  than  with  the  ordinary  cast- 
ing rod,  and  take  it  as  a  side  tip  you  won't  land 
every  one  you  hook. 


A  LITTLE  PAN-FISH  FUN  107 

The  crappie  is  found  in  most  ponds,  lagoons,  and 
lakes,  as  well  as  the  more  sluggish  streams,  and  they 
like  the  quiet  waters.  They  bite  best  in  the  early 
spring,  in  June  and  the  fall,  although  you  get  them 
most  any  time.  For  a  still-fishing  bait  they  like 
grasshoppers,  worms  or  live  minnows,  and  you  can 
catch  them  trolling  with  minnow  or  very  small  spoon- 
hook,  while  at  times  they  will  rise  to  the  trout  fly. 

The  rock  bass  prefers  the  clear,  cool  water,  and 
is  not  only  found  in  nearly  every  lake,  pond  and 
river,  but  also  in  the  little  creeks  and  streams.  In 
the  lakes  you  will  find  him  where  the  reeds  and 
underwater  grasses  grow  and  in  the  streams  he 
dotes  on  the  deep  holes  among  the  rocks  and  bowl- 
ders or  around  stumps,  brush  or  windfalls.  Most 
any  kind  of  bait  suits  him,  but  small  minnows,  angle- 
worms and  white  wood-grubs  make  him  swim 
around  and  take  notice.  They  put  up  quite  a  stagger 
at  fighting  when  first  hooked,  and  make  a  final  effort 
when  brought  up  to  the  boat.  A  small  red  ibis  or 
white  miller  fly  often  tempt  them,  and  very  small 
frogs  or  crawfish  interest  the  larger  ones. 

BLUEGILL   IS   SCRAPPY 

The  bluegill  is  probably  the  most  numerous  of 
the  panners  and  can  be  found  in  nearly  all  the  lakes 
and  quieter  streams,  particularly  in  the  smaller 
lakes.  He  grows  to  a  fair  size  and  undoubtedly 
he  is  the  gamest  of  the  pan  fish.  He  fights  from  the 


io8      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

time  he  is  hooked  until  landed  and  is  sure  a  persistent 
little  cuss.  He  does  not  rush  the  hook  like  the  rock 
bass,  but  quietly  sucks  the  hook  in,  and  when  he  finds 
he  has  hooked  himself  the  fun  begins.  You  usually 
will  find  him  in  schools  off  the  edges  of  bars  among 
the  patches  of  weeds  and  grasses,  and  he  sticks  in  a 
bunch  until  you  land  the  whole  outfit.  Try  for  him 
in  water  from  five  to  ten  feet  in  depth  and  keep 
your  line  as  far  away  from  the  boat  as  possible. 
Any  time  of  the  year  he  will  go  for  the  bait,  but 
from  July  to  September  he  seems  exceptionally  in 
need  of  open-air  treatment.  Any  of  the  baits  used 
for  other  panners  satisfies  the  bluegill,  while  he  won't 
turn  up  his  nose  at  pieces  of  fish  or  mussel.  Troll- 
ing and  the  fly  interest  him. 

STRIPED   PERCH    GOOD   BITER 

The  yellow  or  striped  perch  is  probably  the  best 
little  biter  in  the  whole  outfit,  and  although  he  does 
not  as  a  rule  fight  like  a  heavyweight,  if  you  get  a 
two-pounder  on  light  fly  tackle  you  know  there  is  a 
fish  on  the  far  end  of  the  line.  Go  after  him  in 
about  thirty  to  forty  feet  of  water  and  you  get  the 
big  ones.  With  any  sort  of  bait  you  can  land  him 
in  good  numbers  most  any  time,  and  even  through 
the  ice  in  winter  he  is  an  accommodating  fellow. 
The  perch  is  a  great  little  favorite  with  the  women 
and  children  who  don't  go  after  the  gamer  fellows, 
and  many  pleasant  days  can  be  spent  for  this  popular 


A  LITTLE  PAN-FISH  FUN  109 

little  panner.  A  bait  that  looks  good  to  a  bluegill 
tickles  the  fancy  of  the  perch,  and  any  old  kind  of 
a  hook  and  line  is  tackle  enough  to  get  him,  although 
the  real  sport  is  to  be  had  with  the  long,  light  steel 
fly  rod. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  the  pan  fish  are  a  gentlemanly 
little  bunch  of  good  fellows,  always  eager  to  take  a 
nibble  and  save  a  fisherman  from  ringing  up  a 
"  goose  egg  "  for  the  day's  fishing,  and  to  his  good, 
clean  method  of  living  we  can  thank  him  for  his  fine 
flavor,  and  crown  him  king  of  fresh  water  fish  food. 


LIVE  BAIT  — THE  MINNOW 

For  an  all-round  live  bait  that  has  the  reputation 
of  bringing  home  the  bacon  most  any  time  during 
the  open  season,  give  us  the  minnow  family,  which, 
by  the  way,  is  a  large  tribe.  Some  fishermen  call 
any  small  fish  a  minnow,  which  is  wrong,  as  the 
minnow  family  is  a  distinct  line  made  up  of  over  one 
hundred  different  species  and  most  small  streams  and 
lakes  have  from  ten  to  thirty  species  in  their  waters. 
You  will  find  the  minnow  in  all  sorts  of  places,  the 
spot-tailed  shiner  mainly  in  the  lakes,  fallfish  in  the 
large  streams,  and  chub  in  the  smaller  streams.  The 
minnows  taken  from  the  rapid  flowing  waters  and 
riffles  make  the  sturdiest  bait,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  liveliest,  as  their  constant  fight  with  the  swift 
current  gives  them  more  "  pep  "  than  the  minnow 
from  the  gravel-bars  or  the  deeper,  quieter  pools. 

As  a  general  thing  the  species  of  minnows  are 
more  numerous  in  the  warmer  streams  and  lakes. 
The  minnow  from  the  river  or  creek  makes  the  best 
bait,  especially  for  bass  or  wall-eyed  pike,  and  those 
taken  from  the  swifter,  cooler  water,  besides  being 
more  vigorous  than  their  brothers  from  the  lakes 
and  ponds,  have  a  more  silvery  shine,  which  makes 

no 


Four  a.  m.  and  the  sun  peeping  up  over  the  horizon  with  a  slight  I 
to  the  water,  a  nice  growth  of   n<  :he  point  of  land   which   runs 

for  sixty  feet  as  a  sand  har  out  into  deep  water  and  the  bass  raising  the 
deuce  among  the  shiners,  perch  and  minnows.  You  cannot  beat  it  for 
bass.  Excry  morning  for  a  week  five  to  eight  bass  were  coaxed  into  the 
"  spider  "  off  this  point. 


In  lake  fishing  for  bass  the  small  bays  and  coves  can  be  counted  on 
for  good  fishing.  As  a  general  thing  the  underwater  weeds  and  lily  pads 
thrive  in  the  bays,  the  natural  retreat  of  the  large-mouth.  From  this 
little  bay  nineteen  bass,  ranging  from  two  and  a  half  to  five  pounds,  were 
caught  in  a  little  over  an  hour's  casting. 


LIVE  BAIT  — THE  MINNOW  in 

a  decidedly  more  attractive  lure  to  the  game  fish  on 
the  lookout  for  a  fancy  piece  of  food. 

TRY   OUT   DIFFERENT   MINNOWS 

In  most  all  fishing  waters  some  particular  minnow 
has  the  reputation  of  being  the  one  best  bet  and  it; 
is  well  to  follow  the  dope  of  the  local  fishermen  or 
guides,  although  at  the  same  time  the  trying  out  of 
another  species  may  mean  better  fishing  all  the  way 
round.  You  never  can  tell  until  you  have  tried  out 
the  different  minnows  which  kind  makes  the  most 
attractive  bait  for  any  locality. 

For  muskellunge,  pike  or  pickerel  the  larger  sized 
minnows,  say  about  eight  to  ten  inches,  are  the  best 
bait  and  it's  a  toss-up  between  the  fallfish,  creek  or 
river  chub,  silver  shiner,  or  black  sucker.  All  of 
these  baits  are  fine  lures  for  casting  or  trolling. 

For  black  bass  the  silver  shiner  or  dace  seems  to 
be  the  minnow  that  tickles  his  fancy  and  its  silvery 
sides  make  a  great  shining  invitation  under  water. 
It  is  a  good  bait  for  any  time,  or  any  condition  of 
water,  and  is  particularly  fine  on  dark  and  cloudy 
days  or  in  rough  water.  River  or  creek  chubs  are 
hardy  minnows  with  a  tough  mouth  that  holds  well 
on  the  hook,  and  the  fact  that  they  are  more  lively 
than  the  shiner  makes  them  attractive  bait  to  most 
fishermen.  On  bright  days,  with  clear  and  still 
water,  the  chub  is  second  to  none  as  a  fish  getter. 
The  mud  minnow,  with  its  yellowish  gold  tint  and 


ii2      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

husky  constitution,  is  a  prime  favorite.  Besides  be- 
ing an  attractive  lure  for  bass,  he  seems  to  have  as 
many  lives  as  the  proverbial  cat,  and  he  is  sure  on 
the  job  every  minute  he  is  in  the  water.  The  small 
sucker,  redfin  or  silver-side,  darter,  slender  silver- 
side,  and  the  blunt-nose  minnow  will  be  found  good 
for  bait. 

CATFISH   AND    PERCH   AS    BAIT 

The  small  catfish,  called  by  some  the  stonecat, 
mad-torn,  bullhead  or  pout,  is  a  bait  that  will  sur- 
prise the  bass  fisherman  who  has  never  used  it. 
Early  and  late  in  the  season  young  yellow  perch  can 
be  used  to  advantage  in  lake  fishing,  but  to  get  the 
best  results  from  the  perch  bait  the  dorsal  fin  should 
be  clipped  off.  This  operation  does  not  impair  the 
vitality  of  the  young  perch,  if  done  quickly  with  a 
pair  of  scissors  or  a  sharp  knife. 

For  bass  or  wall-eyed  pike  a  minnow  four  to  five 
inches  long  is  about  the  right  size.  This  size  min- 
now is  livelier  and  will  last  much  longer  on  the  hook 
than  the  smaller  ones.  Even  a  small  bass,  a  half 
pounder  for  instance,  will  make  a  drive  for  this  size 
bait,  while  it  is  sure  the  happy  medium  for  the  old 
granddaddy  who  has  a  man's-sized  feed  bag  to  fill. 
As  a  general  thing  the  big  bass  like  a  good  mouthful 
and  there  is  not  much  chance  of  using  a  minnow 
they  cannot  handle.  Bass  seem  to  have  a  fancy  for 
minnows  from  other  waters  than  their  own. 


LIVE  BAIT  — THE  MINNOW  113 

HOW   TO    HOOK   THE   MINNOW 

In  baiting  the  hook  with  the  minnow,  pass  the 
hook  through  the  lower  lip  and  out  the  nostril,  or 
if  the  minnow  is  of  a  large  size,  run  the  hook 
through  both  lips.  For  still  fishing,  where  the 
water  is  quiet,  hook  the  minnow,  if  small,  through 
the  back,  above  the  backbone  and  just  behind  the 
dorsal  fin.  Chubs  and  suckers  can  be  hooked 
through  both  lips  which  are  very  strong  on  these 
species. 

With  proper  care  minnows  can  be  kept  in  good 
shape  for  an  indefinite  period.  In  camp  a  perma- 
nent minnow  box  should  be  sunk  in  the  water  along 
the  shore  of  the  stream  or  lake,  and  the  bottom  of 
the  box  filled  with  gravel  and  stones.  Wire  screen 
over  both  ends  gives  a  steady  change  of  water.  Al- 
ways dip  the  minnows  into  the  minnow  bucket  with 
a  small  dip  net  and  don't  handle  them;  leave  that 
until  you  place  them  on  the  hook.  It  is  best  to  use 
a  large  size  minnow  bucket  and  if  there  is  to  be 
much  of  a  carry,  put  a  bunch  of  water  weeds  in  the 
pail.  This  saves  them  from  injury  caused  by  rough 
travel.  In  carrying  minnows  any  distance  don't 
crowd  'em;  fifty  to  a  five-gallon  pail  is  plenty.  A 
pinch  of  salt  added  to  the  water  once  or  twice  dur- 
ing the  day's  fishing  gives  'em  life.  Change  the 
water  often  and  don't  wait  until  the  minnows  come 
to  the  top,  as  that's  about  the  time  they  are  ready 


ii4      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

to  turn  belly  up.  A  mighty  good  plan  is  to  tote 
along  a  small  bicycle  pump  and  aerate  the  water 
every  now  and  then  by  pumping  air  into  it.  A  good 
plan  to  follow  in  changing  the  water  in  the  minnow 
pail  is  to  pour  it  in  from  a  height  of  say  two  or  three 
feet,  as  this  carries  air  into  the  water,  and  the  min- 
now sure  needs  air  as  much  as  a  human  being. 


ODE  TO  A  WORM 

The  sombre  years  roll  on  to  ultimate  negations 
And  swirl  back  to  the  fates  from  whence  they 

came ; 
But  thou  —  through  all  the  changing  generations  — 

Thou  wriggling  angleworm,  remain  the  same. 
Delicious  grub,  upon  which  hungry  fish  have  bat- 
tened 

Since  cave-men  first  the  bone-barbed  spear  for- 
sook, 
I  sing  this  song  for  one  whose  yawning  creel  has 

fattened, 

Because  thou  hung  suspended  from  his  hook. 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 

WORMS  AS  BAIT 

The  original  bait  that  has  tickled  the  palate  of 
all  kinds  of  fish  since  the  first  open  season  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden  and  caused  more  of  them  to  grace 
the  frying  pan  than  any  other  lure,  of  the  thousands 
in  use,  is  the  common  old  worm.  Called  by  some 
the  angleworm,  by  others  the  fishworm,  and  knighted 
as  the  greatest  bait  ever  by  the  happy,  bare-legged, 
knee-pants  angler  of  the  Order  of  the  Long  Cane 
Pole. 

us 


ii6      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

This  little  old  worm  bait  has  never  received  as 
much  credit  as  it  should,  probably  because  its  value 
as  a  bait  has  been  in  a  way  overlooked  in  the  mad 
rush  for  the  multicolored  and  wonderfully  shaped 
artificials  that  have  made  bait-casting  the  most 
popular  end  of  the  sport.  Then,  again,  the  fact 
that  the  fly-fisherman  generally  tilts  his  nose  sky- 
ward when  the  worm  is  as  much  as  mentioned,  has 
sort  of  given  it  a  black  eye  with  the  beginner,  who, 
above  all  things,  hates  to  have  the  experienced 
angler  think  for  a  minute  that  he  is  a  tyro  at  the 
game.  And  at  that,  Old  Scout,  it  is  no  kid's  trick 
to  land  the  wily  trout  when  the  waters  are  low  and 
clear  during  July,  even  with  the  assistance  of  the 
lowly  worm. 

A    STILL-FISHING   WINNER 

As  a  still-fishing  bait  for  all  kinds  of  fish  the  worm 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  class,  and  he  can  wiggle 
into  the  affections  of  the  finny  tribe  when  many  other 
baits  don't  even  get  a  glance.  Whether  it  is  the 
fascinating  wiggle  of  the  head  and  tail  of  the  worm, 
which  should  be  hooked  through  the  body  a  couple 
of  times  with  the  ends  free,  or  the  delicious  flavor 
of  this  choice  bit  of  fish  food  that  makes  it  so  popu- 
lar, is  a  question  that  can  only  be  settled  by  the  fish, 
but  it  is  a  sure  enough  fact  that  they  take  to  worms 
like  a  duck  to  water.  The  worm  makes  'em  cross- 
eyed to  get  at  it  before  another  fish  sees  it. 


WORMS  AS  BAIT  117 

FOUR   OF   A    KIND 

One  big  point  in  favor  of  the  worm  is  that  it  can 
be  found  in  good  numbers  almost  anywhere.  A  few 
turns  of  earth  with  a  spade  will  give  you  enough  bait 
for  an  afternoon's  fishing.  There  are  four  species 
of  worms  which  are  probably  the  most  useful  in  fish- 
ing. The  black-headed  worm  without  the  band  or 
knotlike  ring  which  is  rather  dark  in  color  and  the 
toughest  and  best  hooker  of  the  lot,  and  is  found  in 
garden  soil.  The  ringed  worm  with  a  ring  around 
the  body  a  little  above  the  middle  is  a  flatter  looking 
worm,  which  is  found  under  old  manure  heaps  and 
such  places.  This  worm  is  softer  and  does  not  make 
as  good  bait  as  the  black-headed  worm.  The 
marsh  worm,  which  has  a  whitish  ring,  and  is  a  pale 
blue  in  color  and  is  found  under  stones  and  among 
decayed  leaves  and  under  rotted  logs.  The  red- 
headed worm  which  is  found  in  rich  earth  near  ma- 
nure heaps  and  is  quite  thick  in  proportion  to  its 
length.  It  is  dark  red,  and  owing  to  the  fact  that 
it  loses  its  color  after  being  in  the  water  a  short  time, 
is  not  as  good  for  bait  as  the  others. 

CLEAN   AND    FEED   'EM 

When  worms  are  first  taken  from  the  ground  they 
ttre  full  of  earth,  and  until  they  are  cleaned  do  not 
make  the  best  bait.  A  fish  likes  the  pink  color  of 
the  cleaned  worm,  and  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  doctor 
them  into  first-class  fish  food.  As  soon  as  they  are 


ii8      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

dug  up  out  of  their  home  grounds  they  should  be 
washed  well  with  water.  Put  them  in  a  panful  of 
water  and  stir  them  around  with  the  finger,  but  don't 
crush  them  or  shake  roughly,  then  place  them  in  an 
earthen  crock  or  jar  and  put  in  plenty  of  moss. 
And  here  is  the  big  point  to  remember  in  the  "  care 
of  the  worm :  "  wring  the  moss  thoroughly  so  that 
all  water  is  eliminated.  The  moss  must  be  kept 
dry  in  order  to  extract  the  moisture  from  the  body 
of  the  worms  and  thus  toughen  them  for  the  hook. 
The  ringed  worm  can  be  cleaned  in  two  or  three 
days  while  the  other  three  take  at  least  a  week  to 
put  them  in  clean  pink  shape.  Every  other  day  the 
worms  should  be  examined  and  the  sick  looking 
brothers  taken  out,  and  the  moss  changed.  Slip 
them  a  little  food  at  the  same  time ;  a  slice  of  bread 
broken  into  small  pieces  and  a  spoonful  of  milk  or 
cream  poured  on  the  moss  is  plenty,  and  will  keep 
'em  while  getting  ready  for  the  hook.  Sounds  like 
a  joke  to  wash  and  feed  your  pet  worms,  but  if  you 
never  offered  a  clean  worm  to  the  fish,  just  give  it 
a  try-out,  and  take  it  from  me,  Old  Timer,  you  are 
certainly  due  for  a  surprise  at  the  results.  While 
the  conditioning  game  is  going  on,  keep  the  worm 
crock  in  a  cool  place. 

SMALL   ONES    GREAT   BAIT 

When  digging  worms  don't  overlook  the   small 
ones.     It  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  only  the  big  worms 


WORMS  AS  BAIT  119 

get  the  big  fish,  for  often  the  largest  worm  will  fall 
a  victim  to  the  smallest  fish.  A  small,  clean,  pink 
worm  with  a  lively  kick  is  more  enticing  to  the  big 
fellows  than  the  big  night  crawler  that  you  hunt 
with  a  lantern.  When  hooking  the  worm  do  not 
run  the  hook  clear  through  the  body,  but  simply 
hook  it  through  the  skin.  About  one-third  way 
down  the  body  run  the  hook  through  the  skin,  then 
skip  about  a  third  of  the  body  and  run  the  hook 
through  again,  leaving  about  a  quarter  of  the  entire 
length  of  the  worm  wriggling  loose  at  the  barb  of 
the  hook.  This  keeps  them  lively  and  kicking  and 
attracts  the  big  fellows,  and  while  a  dead  worm  may 
get  the  smaller  fish  it  doesn't  appeal  much  to  the 
kind  you  are  generally  after.  When  hooking  a  new 
worm  always  take  off  the  small  pieces  of  his  pre- 
decessor. 

When  you  have  tried  out  everything  else  and  the 
fish  seem  to  be  off  the  feed,  slip  a  nice  worm  on  the 
hook,  and  if  that  don't  make  them  hungry  you  can 
feel  certain  that  you  have  done  your  part  in  your 
effort  to  coax  the  big  fins  out  of  the  water. 


PORK  RIND  FOR  BAIT 

After  you  have  packed  your  varied  bunch  of  plugs, 
wobblers,  spoons  and  lures  in  your  tackle  box,  with 
the  surplus  jammed  into  your  grip,  don't  forget  the 
humble  pork  rind,  because  it's  sure  got  some  "  rep  " 
behind  it  to  back  it  up 'as  a  fish  getter.  When  you 
have  tried  to  tease  the  fish  on  to  your  hook  with 
every  bait  you  can  think  of  and  failed  to  arouse  their 
curiosity,  just  put  a  nice  juicy  strip  or  chunk  of  fat 
pork  on  the  hook,  and  if  that  don't  make  their 
mouths  water  then  they  surely  must  be  either  sea- 
sick or  on  a  diet. 

Many  big  fish  have  been  caught  with  the  fat  side 
of  the  pig,  and  your  kit  is  not  complete  without  a 
fair-sized  piece  of  pork.  Buy  it  in  a  chunk  with 
the  rind  on  and  cut  it  up  each  day  as  you  a  la  carte 
it  to  the  fish.  Keeping  it  in  a  chunk  saves  it  from 
drying  out.  The  best  kind  of  pork  to  buy  is  that 
commonly  called  salt  pork,  or,  as  the  sailors  name 
it,  "  salt  hoss,"  but  get  the  fresh  pork  whenever  pos- 
sible as  it  is  stronger  and  makes  a  livelier  bait.  This 
pork  is  white,  and  makes  an  attractive  lure  for  bass, 
pickerel  and  wall-eyed  pike,  and  even  the  musky 
will  give  it  the  once  over  if  it's  a  fair-sized  chunk. 

120 


PORK  RIND  FOR  BAIT  121 

HOW   TO    CUT   PORK   RIND   BAIT 

There  are  many  different  ways  to  prepare  the 
pork  rind  as  to  size  and  style  of  cutting.  Take  a 
strip  three  to  three  and  one-half  inches  long,  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  wide  and  an  eighth  of  an  inch 
thick.  Taper  it  from  the  full  width  down  to  a 
point  in  a  V-shape.  This  makes  a  very  good  pork 
rind  bait  to  use  either  in  casting  or  trolling.  Leave 
the  rind  on  the  top  of  the  pork  strip  for  a  distance 
of  about  two  inches  from  the  thick  end  of  the  taper, 
cutting  it  off  of  the  balance  of  the  strip,  as  this  gives 
it  strength  and  does  not  interfere  with  its  wiggling 
in  the  water.  To  add  to  its  attractiveness  as  a  bass 
lure,  tie  a  piece  of  red  yarn  through  the  head  and 
knot  it  into  a  couple  of  small  bows  at  each  side.  A 
bright  piece  of  red  cloth  tied  around  the  head  is  also 
good. 

IMITATE    FROGS   AND   MINNOWS 

Take  two  of  these  strips  and  tie  them  together 
at  the  head  and  let  the  ends  loose  and  you  have  a 
good  imitation  of  a  frog;  it  has  a  mighty  fine  motion 
in  the  water,  at  that.  A  pork  rind  strip  with  a  No. 
3  spoon  makes  a  fine  casting  bait  and  is  most  effective 
when  used  on  a  tandem  hook  which  is  made  es- 
pecially for  pork  rind  baits,  or  on  a  Foss  pork  rind 
minnow. 

You  can  vary  your  pork  rind  baits  to  imitate  a 


122      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

minnow  or  frog.  To  make  the  latter  bait,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  cut  a  wider  piece  of  pork  and  split  the 
tail  into  two  legs.  The  fact  that  the  pork  is  fresh 
and  limber  makes  it  take  a  very  lifelike  motion 
through  the  water,  and  at  the  same  time  when  a  fish 
strikes  a  pork  rind  bait  it  does  not  immediately 
throw  it  out  of  its  mouth,  as  is  the  case  with  wooden 
baits.  The  pork  has  more  of  the  soft  feel  of  the 
live  bait  to  the  fish,  and  it's  a  twenty-to-one  shot  that 
he'll  try  to  swallow  it. 

PORK   CHUNK   GOOD   BAIT 

Chunks  of  pork  cut  wedge  shape  are  very  success- 
ful bait,  especially  for  casting.  Take  a  piece  about 
one  and  a  half  inches  across  the  top,  two  inches  long 
and  one  inch  thick.  Taper  this  down  to  half  an  inch 
at  the  end  and  cut  off  the  rind  except  at  the  thickest 
end.  Decorate  this  chunk  with  red  yarn  around  the 
head  and  you  have  an  A-i  casting  bait. 

If  you  don't  want  to  bother  with  making  your  own 
pork  rind  baits,  you  can  get  the  strips  in  bottles  or 
the  chunks  in  boxes  at  your  tackle  store,  but  a  lot 
of  the  fun  of  fishing  comes  from  doping  up  for  your- 
self the  bait  that  later  lands  the  big  ones. 

In  hooking  the  pork  rind,  hook  it  close  up  to  the 
end  so  that  the  balance  of  the  bait  is  loose  and  free 
to  move  with  the  water  as  it  is  reeled  in.  Hook  it 
through  the  pork  with  the  rind  on  top,  so  that  the 
bait  stands  up  in  the  water. 


PORK  RIND  FOR  BAIT  123 

HUNT   WHERE   THEY    FEED 

Of  course  with  pork  rind  bait,  as  with  any  other 
lure,  you  must  know  something  about  the  feeding 
places  of  the  fish  and  where  to  find  them.  In  the 
early  morning  or  late  evening,  when  the  bass  are 
close  in  shore  or  looking  for  a  meal  in  a  patch  of 
weeds  or  around  an  under-water  brush  heap  or  wind- 
fall, you  can  drop  a  pork  rind  bait  in  the  right  spot 
and  be  almost  certain  of  a  strike.  With  a  weedless 
hook  you  can  shoot  the  bait  into  an  open  pocket  in 
the  weeds  where  other  lures  cannot  well  be  used. 

For  pickerel  or  pike  use  a  small  dipsey  sinker  to 
take  the  bait  down  deeper  to  where  these  fish  hang 
out.  Pork  rind  can  be  used  by  itself  as  a  bait  but 
a  spoon  or  spinner  adds  to  the  attraction  and  you 
might  as  well  get  the  benefit  of  this  old  reliable  end 
of  the  tackle  outfit. 

A  well-known  "  been  there  "  fisherman  of  Pardee- 
ville,  Wisconsin,  H.  P.  Thompson  by  name,  who  is  a 
great  little  advocate  of  the  fat  and  juicy  pork  as  a 
winner  among  the  baits,  puts  it  this  way;  u  If  you 
want  to  catch  fish,  and  make  the  other  fellow  wonder 
how  you  do  it,  use  pork,  just  plain  pork,  without  the 
beans."  Not  half  bad,  old  man,  only  I  say,  use  the 
pork  for  bait,  and  use  the  beans  to  stuff  the  feed  bag. 


TROLLING 

After  a  few  hours  casting,  when  your  rod  begins 
to  feel  like  a  piece  of  lead,  just  slip  into  an  easy 
position  and  take  a  little  whirl  at  trolling.  Besides 
resting  up  your  casting  arm  and  putting  it  in  shape 
for  a  double-header  in  the  afternoon,  you  stand  a 
mighty  good  chance  of  landing  some  fine  fish  with 
the  least  amount  of  exertion  up  to  the  actual  period 
of  fighting  the  fish.  Trolling  is  sure  the  lazy  fisher- 
man's delight  and  often  the  fat  man's  preference. 

Nearly  all  game  fish  can  be  caught  by  trolling, 
and  after  the  strike  it  takes  just  a  little  bit  finer  work 
on  the  part  of  the  fisherman  to  land  his  catch,  due 
to  the  larger  amount  of  line  out  at  the  time.  There 
are  quite  a  number  of  rigs  that  are  good  for  troll- 
ing, and  you  can  use  most  any  kind  of  bait  or  lure. 
The  best  day  for  this  kind  of  fishing  is  when  the 
water  is  slightly  ruffled  by  a  breeze  and  the  surface 
broken  by  small  waves.  This  keeps  the  intended 
victim  from  seeing  too  much  for  his  own  good.  An 
overcast  or  cloudy  day  also  adds  to  the  attractiveness 
of  trolling  weather,  although  many  great  catches 
have  been  made  when  the  sun  was  doing  his  hot- 
test. 

124 


TROLLING  125 

BRAIDED   LINES    BEST 

The  best  line  for  trolling  is  the  braided  silk  or 
linen,  as  the  twisted  lines  cannot  be  used  successfully 
on  account  of  the  kinking  caused  by  the  twisting  and 
turning  of  the  line,  which  cannot  altogether  be 
avoided.  In  assembling  your  rig  for  trolling  don't 
be  afraid  to  use  swivels;  they  help  keep  the  line  from 
twisting.  In  rigging  up  the  spoon  hook  for  trolling, 
which  is  the  one  most  commonly  used,  loop  the  line 
on  a  swiveled  wire  leader  —  a  six  or  eight  inch  one 
is  plenty  long  enough  —  and  at  the  end  of  the  leader 
snap  on  the  spoon,  which  for  ordinary  fishing  for 
wall-eyed  pike  or  bass  should  not  be  larger  than  a 
No.  3,  while  for  pike,  pickerel  or  musky  a  No.  4  to 
No.  6  is  plenty  large  enough.  One  of  the  big  mis- 
takes in  using  the  trolling  spoon  is  to  select  a  No.  12 
in  the  single  spoon  or  a  No.  10  in  the  tandem  style, 
with  a  bunch  of  feathered  hooks  on  the  end  large 
enough  to  scare  any  fish  on  first  sight.  Some  of 
the  finest  musky  and  pike  have  been  caught  on  a 
little  old  No.  3  spoon  with  a  shiner  or  pork  rind 
fluttering  on  the  hook.  Take  a  No.  6  single  spoon 
or  a  No.  4  tandem  with  a  nice-sized  black  sucker, 
chub  or  shiner  hooked  behind,  and  you  have  an  ideal 
pike  or  musky  trolling  rig.  Top  this  off  with  a 
small  piece  of  red  flannel  right  in  front  of  the  bait, 
and  they  sure  can't  resist  it.  The  small  spoon  is  the 
winner  with  the  big  fish. 


126      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
TROLL   DEEP    FOR    BASS 

When  the  bass  have  left  the  shore  waters  for  the 
cooler  deep  water  and  you  have  failed  to  coax  them 
up  with  the  cast,  just  locate  a  bar,  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  under  water,  and  take  a  shot  at  trolling  for 
them  with  a  Keeling  Expert  under-water  minnow. 
Take  the  small  size,  about  a  two-inch  minnow,  let 
out  about  75  feet  of  line,  and  troll  deep.  For  clear 
water  use  the  bronze  or  copper  color,  and  for  dull 
days  try  the  aluminum.  For  an  artificial,  this  little 
old  bait  is  sure  a  winner.  A  mud  minnow,  frog  or 
pork  rind  strip,  with  a  little  red  yarn  and  a  No.  3 
spoon,  makes  a  trolling  outfit  that  looks  good  to 
the  bass. 

There  is  one  little  angle  to  the  trolling  game  that 
some  of  the  sure-enough  fishermen  have  overlooked, 
and  that  is  to  troll  with  flies  for  bass.  Take  a  nine- 
foot  gut  leader,  loop  on  three  flies,  slip  three  split- 
shot  sinkers,  about  No.  i,  on  the  leader  three  feel- 
apart  to  keep  the  flies  one  or  two  feet  below  the 
surface,  and  troll  along  very  slowly  and  quietly. 
Let  out  25  yards  of  line  and  strike  right  after  the 
bass  strikes.  A  good  combination  of  flies  for  troll- 
ing is  the  Coachman,  Silver  Doctor  and  the  red  or 
brown  Hackle.  Trolling  with  flies  for  bass  might 
be  called  the  highest  art  of  that  end  of  the  fishing 
game,  as  it  requires  more  skill  and  attention  than  the 
ordinary  run  of  trolling. 


TROLLING  127 

CUT   OUT   THE    SPEED 

In  trolling  for  musky,  pike  or  pickerel  75  to  100 
feet  of  line  is  plenty  to  run  out  behind  the  boat.  At 
this  distance  the  lure  is  far  enough  away  from  the 
boat  and  the  line  is  easier  handled  in  landing  the 
fish.  The  boat  should  make  about  two  to  three 
miles  an  hour,  which  is  speed  enough  to  keep  the 
spoon  turning  and  at  the  same  time  give  the  fish  a 
chance  to  see  your  bait.  Always  troll  with  your  rod 
straight  out  behind  the  boat,  never  out  the  side  at  a 
right  angle;  this  is  treatment  any  fishing  rod  would 
resent.  A  mighty  good  thing  for  the  rod  is  to  use 
a  steel  rod  shortener,  which  gives  you  a  dandy  troll- 
ing rod  at  a  cost  of  about  20  cents.  Just  slip  out 
the  first  joint,  put  the  shortener  in  the  grip,  the  sec- 
ond joint  in  the  shortener,  and  you  run  no  chances 
with  your  bait-casting  rod.  One  big  point  to  re- 
member in  trolling  with  a  spoon  is  the  fact  that  a 
spoon  must  be  spinning  around  in  order  to  flash 
under  water  and  attract  the  fish.  If  you  will  keep 
your  eye  on  the  rod  tip  occasionally  you  can  easily 
tell  whether  the  spoon  is  turning  around  by  the 
steady  bobbing  of  the  tip.  When  it  quits  bobbing 
you'd  better  reel  in  and  clean  off  the  weeds.  A 
hookful  of  weeds  is  not  much  inducement  for  a  fish 
to  strike. 

For  wall-eyed  pike  put  a  dipsey  sinker  on  your  rig 
and  troll  deep,  and  if  you  get  a  strike,  troll  back 


128      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

and  forth  over  the  same  water,  as  they  feed  in 
schools.  A  fine  artificial  bait  for  the  wall-eye  is  the 
Heddon's  underwater  Dowagiac  with  the  green 
mottled  back  and  white  belly.  This  is  a  killer,  while 
the  South  Bend  Bass-oreno,  white  with  red  head, 
should  be  called  the  Pike-oreno  because  it  sure  makes 
them  dull  their  teeth. 


FALL  FISHING 

If  there  is  any  time  in  the  whole  fishing  season 
that  is  more  delightful  than  the  fall  or  autumn,  lead 
me  to  it.  After  the  first  frost  has  nipped  the  leaves 
and  they  have  changed  to  countless  tints  and  shades 
of  gold,  yellow  and  red,  with  the  deep  green  of  the 
pines  making  them  stand  out  in  flashing  splendor, 
then,  and  not  until  then,  will  you  realize  that  it  is  not 
all  of  fishing  merely  to  fish. 

The  hot  old  days  of  July  and  August  have  been 
passed  into  the  discard  and  with  them  all  the  thou- 
sands of  insect  pests  that  feed  on  the  unsuspecting 
angler  as  he  works  overtime  trying  to  coax  the  un- 
interested fish  with  all  manner  of  baits  and  lures. 
No  more  do  you  have  to  wake  up  two  hours  before 
the  roosters  and  just  ahead  of  the  sun  in  order  to 
get  to  the  fishing  waters  when  the  fish  are  in  the 
shallows  for  a  feed,  nor  do  you  have  to  wait  until 
dusk,  or  darker,  to  go  after  them  with  some  chance 
of  finding  them  in  the  humor  to  bite. 

COOL   WATERS    GIVE   'EM    PEP 

During  the  hot  summer  days  the  fish  are  dull  and 
sluggish,  devoting  most  of  the  daylight  hours  to  a 

129 


i3o      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

siesta  in  the  cool  depths,  and  although  you  lower 
your  bait  to  them,  they  give  it  the  once  over  with 
little  or  no  interest.  Even  the  eager  little  pannies 
seem  to  be  off  the  feed  at  this  time. 

Among  the  big  fellows  —  the  pike,  pickerel  and 
musky  —  Dame  Nature  has  been  playing  hob  with 
the  teeth  and  gums  and  by  the  opening  of  the  fall 
fishing  these  old  warriors'  molars  have  been  shaped 
up  so  that  they  are  in  fine  fettle  to  try  them  out  on 
most  any  bait  that  flashes  past. 

Right  here  I  want  to  justify  a  statement  I  made 
some  time  ago  regarding  musky  losing  their  teeth 
during  August,  and  being  supplied  with  an  entirely 
new  set  for  the  winter  feeding.  This  statement  has 
caused  considerable  comment  among  writers  of  fish- 
ing lore.  I  made  it  a  particular  point  to  examine 
quite  a  number  of  musky  this  season  and  found  that 
as  late  as  September  loth  some  of  them  still  had 
the  old  teeth  hanging  loose  in  the  mouth,  while  in 
front  of  the  old  teeth  were  the  new  dagger  teeth 
firmly  set  in  the  jaws  and  ready  for  business.  This 
was  a  little  later  than  usual  for  the  old  teeth  to  re- 
main and  was  no  doubt  caused  by  late  seasonal  con- 
ditions. At  this  same  time  the  gums  of  the  pickerel 
were  still  swollen  and  in  poor  shape  to  encourage  an 
attack  on  a  lure. 

As  an  explanation  why  these  fish  that  are  affected 
with  teeth  troubles  do  not  take  the  bait  at  this 
teething  period,  although  they  must  surely  eat,  many 


FALL  FISHING  131 

hold  that  they  feed  on  the  almost  invisible  animal 
life  in  the  water  and  the  vegetation  which  is  in  bloom 
at  this  time.  The  old-timers  on  the  lakes  will  tell 
you  that  the  lake  is  working,  the  waters  containing 
millions  of  small  specks,  whitish  in  color,  and  these 
no  doubt  make  up  part  of  the  menu  of  the  old  heavy- 
weights. 

TIME   TO    LAND   BIG   ONES 

In  September  the  fish  come  back  strong  and  with 
the  cooler  days  of  October,  and  even  up  into  the 
snows  of  November,  you  don't  have  to  be  so  finicky 
about  selecting  your  artificial  plugs.  The  bass  are 
again  in  the  shallows  ready  to  wallop  your  lure  with 
the  same  driving  sweep  they  give  it  in  the  beginning 
of  the  season.  And  your  chances  of  landing  a  big 
one  are  greater  than  at  any  other  time.  Why  this 
is  so,  is  hard  to  dope  out,  but  the  big  fellows  are 
sure  kittenish  and  probably  take  a  wallop  at  the 
gloriously  enameled  wooden  plug  out  of  pure  devil- 
ishness,  or  to  relieve  themselves  of  an  overabundance 
of  "  pep." 

The  fish  at  this  time  of  the  year  are  right  on  edge, 
alert  and  keenly  alive  to  everything,  and  nature  helps 
them  to  the  extent  of  keeping  their  home  waters 
clearer  than  at  any  other  period.  They  can  see  for 
longer  distances  and  the  still  clear  atmosphere  of 
October  is  in  their  favor.  Caution  and  skill  in  fish- 
ing quietly  are  far  more  necessary  in  autumn  than 
earlier  in  the  season. 


132      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
THE   BAITS   TO    USE 

For  an  artificial  for  fall  bass  fishing  let  it  be  a 
white  body  with  a  dash  of  red,  and  of  the  wobbler 
type.  At  the  same  time  a  green  backed  white  bel- 
lied underwater  minnow  also  makes  an  attractive 
lure  and  is  particularly  good  for  wall-eyed  pike. 
The  wall-eye  is  mighty  hungry  in  the  fall,  and  right 
up  into  November,  and  he  makes  a  conscientious 
biter  as  the  cooler  weather  sets  in.  He  is  still  a  bot- 
tom feeder  and  you  must  send  the  bait  down  to  him. 
Don't  be  afraid  to  shoot  your  cast  in  among  the 
weeds  and  lily  pads  for  the  bass.  That's  where  you 
will  find  them  in  the  fall,  way  in  close  to  shore,  feed- 
ing, especially  in  the  evening,  and  flirting  with  the 
edges  of  the  weed  patches  will  not  bring  half  as 
good  results  as  casting  right  into  the  weeds. 

The  live  frogs  and  minnow  are  fine  fall  baits  and 
if  you  hook  your  frog  on  'a  weedless  hook,  toss  it 
as  lightly  as  possible  into  the  weeds  and  let  it  settle 
a  bit,  then  reel  in  slowly,  stopping  for  a  second  now 
and  then,  you  are  offering  a  mighty  inviting  lunch 
to  a  hungry  bass. 

For  the  musky,  pike  and  pickerel  the  old  reliable 
spoonhook,  about  a  No.  4  to  6,  is  an  ideal  trolling 
bait  and  the  way  they  hit  the  spoon  with  a  savage 
lunge  is  enough  to  shatter  the  nerves  of  a  fair- 
weather  fisherman.  And  pickerel  —  well,  the  fall 
caught  "  pick  "  will  be  a  surprise  to  the  fellow  who 
hates  'em  in  the  summer. 


MUSKY,  PIKE  OR  PICKEREL? 

If  there  is  any  one  point  in  the  fishing  game  that 
causes  more  discussion  than  the  true  identification  of 
the  muskellunge,  pike  and  pickerel,  I  have  failed  to 
notice  it.  All  three  of  these  savages  of  the  waters 
belong  to  the  pike  family,  from  the  big,  husky  musky 
down  to  the  more  slender  and  smaller  pickerel,  and 
they  have  a  reputation  for  greediness  and  voracity 
that  entitles  them  to  be  called  the  "  wolf  "  of  the 
waters.  They  devour  every  living  creature  that 
comes  in  sight  and  prey  upon  the  other  fishes,  as  well 
as  taking  an  occasional  feed  from  their  own  kind. 

A    FAMILY   OF   ROUGHNECKS 

The  family  resemblance  between  the  musky,  pike 
and  pickerel  is  close  in  contour  and  general  appear- 
ance, but  in  markings  and  color,  as  well  as  weight 
and  size,  there  is  quite  a  difference.  The  body  is 
similar  in  shape,  with  the  exception  that  the  musky 
is  built  more  bulky  and  chunky  than  either  the  pike 
or  pickerel,  the  latter  being  the  slimmest  and  more 
slender  of  the  three.  They  have  the  same  number 
and  kind  of  fins  and  they  are  placed  in  the  same 
position  on  each.  The  same  large  head,  with  its 
flattened  appearance  and  the  protruding  underjaw 
armed  with  an  array  of  sharp  daggerlike  teeth, 

133 


134      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

makes  either  one  of  these  three  ruffians  look  like  a 
bad  actor  when  you  bring  him  up  to  the  boat.  On 
both  the  pike  and  pickerel  the  head  is  slightly  more 
flattened  and  the  lower  jaw  seems  to  project  farther 
forward  than  on  the  musky.  The  body  or  basic 
color  of  the  back  and  sides  is  a  green  and  greenish- 
yellow,  which  varies  considerably  in  the  different  fish. 
Local  conditions  and  waters  are  the  cause  of  this 
variation  in  color.  In  some  waters  the  fish  will  be 
found  with  both  back  and  sides  of  a  dark  green,  in 
others  a  medium  tint,  while  again  they  will  be  caught 
with  a  very  light  green  on  the  back,  shading  into 
greenish  yellow  on  the  sides.  The  belly  varies  from 
white  to  a  cream  color.  In  some  lakes  the  basic 
color  has  a  brown-green  tint.  From  this  point  the 
similarity  in  color  of  the  three  fish  ceases.  On  the 
musky  are  found  markings  of  black  or  brown,  either 
in  the  shape  of  round  spots  or  irregular  vertical 
daubs.  In  some  waters  the  musky  is  colored  a  dark 
gray,  blending  into  a  grayish  silver.  In  the  Eagle 
River  waters  and  several  of  the  smaller  lakes  in 
northern  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota  an  unspotted 
musky  is  found.  This  musky  is  often  called  the 
Great  Northern  pike.  Its  tail  is  more  slender  and 
the  fins  are  slightly  higher  than  on  the  other. 

PICKEREL   REALLY   SMALL   FELLOW 

The    true    pickerel    seldom    exceeds    five    or    six 
pounds  in  weight,  although  pike  weighing  10  to  30 


MUSKY,  PIKE  OR  PICKEREL?  135 

or  40  pounds  are  called  pickerel  by  many  fishermen. 
The  body  color  of  the  pike  varies  greatly,  but  as  a 
general  thing  it  has  a  greenish-yellow  back  and  sides, 
with  yellow  spots  dotted  over  the  entire  body.  The 
spots  are  round  and  look  as  if  they  might  have  been 
daubbed  on  with  a  round  brush  full  of  yellow  paint. 
The  dots  and  body  color  vary  from  light  to  dark 
tints  in  different  fish. 

The  true  pickerel  also  has  dots  of  yellow  and 
sometimes  of  a  silver  gray,  and  they  are  oblong  or 
oval  in  shape  and  run  lengthwise  with  the  body, 
nf-er  vertically.  These,  markings  are  so  numerous 
that  they  seem  to  be  the  body  color  separated  by  a 
dark  tracing  around  the  irregular  placed  spots. 
They  run  in  no  special  design  or  regularity  and  do 
not  look  as  much  like  spots  as  those  markings  of 
the  pike  and  musky,  nor  do  they  stand  out  as  dis- 
tinctly. 

The  musky  is  a  scrapper  from  the  strike  to  the 
gaff,  and  he  uses  a  tail  full  of  tricks  to  break  away. 
He  will  flop  up  out  of  the  water,  giving  his  head  a 
shake  like  an  angry  bull  pup ;  he  will  make  a  dash 
straight  at  the  boat  to  go  under  it,  and  a  favorite 
trick  is  to  flop  up  out  of  the  water  and  corkscrew 
back  on  the  line,  winding  it  around  his  snoot  in  an 
effort  to  break  it.  None  of  these  wise  old  actions 
can  be  blamed  on  the  pike  or  pickerel.  They 
haven't  got  it  in  'em.  They  don't  seem  to  have  the 
pep  or  wits  of  the  musky,  and  they  never  break 


1 36      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

water.  A  pike  of  15  to  20  pounds  will  take  con- 
siderable strength  of  arm  and  tackle  to  hold  him, 
and  the  fight  will  consist  of  long  straight  lunges,  at 
times  near  the  surface  or  down  towards  the  bottom. 

In  feeding  habits  the  musky,  pike  and  pickerel  are 
alike.  They  are  solitary  in  habit  and  lie  concealed 
among  the  weeds,  rushes  and  lily-pads,  at  the  edge 
of  a  channel  where  other  fish  are  liable  to  swim 
past  or  alongside  of  submerged  rocks  from  which 
they  dash  out  for  their  prey,  returning  to  the  lair 
to  gorge  the  food  and  watch  for  another  passer 
by. 

SURE   WAY   TO   JUDGE 

There  is  one  way  you  can  always  identify  these 
three  fish  and  be  absolutely  sure  you  are  right.  On 
the  musky  the  cheek  and  gill  covers  have  scales 
only  on  a  very  narrow  strip  on  the  top,  while  the 
pike  has  scales  on  the  entire  cheek  and  the  upper 
half  of  the  gill  covers,  and  on  the  true  pickerel  both 
the  cheek  and  gill  covers  are  entirely  covered  with 
scales.  This  method  of  distinguishing  between  the 
three  fish  is  absolutely  reliable  and  accurate,  and  as 
both  the  cheek  and  gill  covers  are  large  even  on  the 
smaller  fish  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  noting  these 
characteristics. 

In  many  localities  the  pike  is  called  pickerel,  while 
the  true  pickerel  is  called  grass  pike,  so  if  you  ever 


MUSKY,  PIKE  OR  PICKEREL?  137 

land  a  2O-pounder  that  the  natives  call  snake 
pickerel,  and  won't  even  take  in  the  boat,  you  are 
perfectly  right  if  you  write  home  to  your  friends 
and  tell  them  you  landed  a  20-pound  pike. 


WHO  CAUGHT  THOSE  FISH? 

As  an  angler  I'll  admit  you  can't  be  beat, 

You  have  panned  old  Izaak  Walton  from  his  seat; 

I'll  not  deny  it. 

There  is  naught  you  haven't  done  with  fish  it  seems, 
You  have  bunkoed  mighty  things  in  lake  and  streams ; 

I'll  not  decry  it. 
You  have  told  me  tales  of  monsters  that  you've 

caught, 
Of  the  bass  and  pike  and  musky  that  youVe  fought; 

And  how  you  fought  them! 

But  I'll  wager,  when  the  pearly  gates  youVe  tried, 
You  will  tremble  if  St.  Peter  asks  the  guide: 

"  Who  really  caught  them?  " 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


TIPS  FROM  THE  GUIDES 

Well,  Old  Man,  you're  ready  to  pack  the  duffle  bag 
and  hit  the  steel  for  the  Great  North  Woods  and 
you  want  a  little  straight-from-the-shoulder  stuff  on 
the  question  of  guides.  Taken  as  a  whole,  the  men 
of  the  North  Woods  are  a  fine  bunch  of  good  fel- 
lows and  they  sure  put  up  with  a  lot  of  hardships  in 

138 


Earny  Wcndt,  guide  extraordinary,  of  the  North  Woods  country,  and 
a  .M' j -pound  muskellunge  landed  by  Earny,  on  September  29,  from  the 
cool  waters  of  Little  Muskellunge  Lake,  head  waters  of  the  Black  Lake 
String,  McNaughton,  Wisconsin.  The  line  with  which  this  musky  was 
brought  to  gaff  te-ted  out  at  7!:t  pounds  on  the  break.  To  land  a  game 
fish  of  this  sixe  on  a  line  of  that  test  shows  remarkable  angling  skill, 
equal,  if  not  finer,  than  the  skill  of  the  cotton-thread  fisherman  of  salt 
fame. 


TIPS  FROM  THE  GUIDES  139 

the  first  line  of  trenches  dodging  anglers'  gas  shells 
on  the  subject  of  fishing.  Most  guides  who  handle 
the  city  chap  on  his  first  big  time  in  the  woods  have 
more  real  fishing  lore  and  knowledge  tied  up  in  their 
hat  racks  than  they  are  given  credit  for.  And  a 
heap  of  this  downright  good  fishing  dope  never 
reaches  the  surface  because  sometimes,  Mr.  C.  C. 
don't  mix  in  right;  he  sort  of  rubs  the  fur  the  wrong 
way.  Get  on  a  man  to  man  basis  right  at  the  start 
and  have  your  listening  ear  in  good  shape.  Your 
fishing  will  be  more  successful  and  you'll  have  an  all- 
round  better  time.  Your  guide  probably  has  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  on  the  waters  you  will 
fish  and  he  sure  ought  to  be  given  credit  for  know- 
ing something  about  fishing  conditions  on  those 
waters.  If  you  give  him  the  glad  hand,  Old  Timer, 
and  treat  him  white,  toting  your  share  and  "  mixing 
in  "  right  he'll  open  up  and  give  you  a  line  of  fishing 
that  will  be  remembered  for  many  a  day.  And  just 
let  a  few  of  his  tackle  tips  and  fish  facts  soak  in; 
they  are  nearly  always  good  and  you  can  use  'em  any 
time. 

TIPS    FROM  A    REAL   GUIDE 

While  on  a  recent  trip  with  Earny  Wendt,  the 
greatest  little  guide  that  ever  brought  a  musky  to 
gaff,  I  passed  the  buck  to  him  in  this  fashion: 
"  Earny,"  I  said,  "  what  is  the  worst  boner  pulled 
by  the  city  fisherman  in  the  high  art  of  tossing  the 
bait  to  the  eager  fishes?  " 


140      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

Between  turning  the  fish  that  was  browning  in  the 
pan  and  moving  the  coffee  pot  to  a  place  of  safety 
when  it  threatened  to  boil  over,  Earny  slipped  this 
over  the  home  plate. 

'  Well  Hombre,  there  are  a  number  of  things 
that  a  fellow  will  do  that  makes  it  hard  to  fill  the 
stringer.  First,  nearly  everyone  tries  to  cast  too 
far;  they  have  an  idea  that  unless  they  make  about 
75  feet  of  line  fly  off  the  reel  on  a  cast  that  said  cast 
was  a  failure,  while  as  a  matter  of  fact,  as  you  well 
know,  a  cast  of  from  25  to  30  feet  will  get  more  fish 
than  the  longer  casts,  unless  the  water  is  very  clear, 
and  then  throw  it  out  not  above  50  feet."  And  this 
has  been  checked  up  many  times  in  watching  Earny 
fish.  He  never  throws  his  arm  out  of  joint,  but  lets 
the  wrist  and  rod  do  most  of  the  work,  and  I  have 
seen  him  get  strikes  within  ten  feet  of  the  boat,  and 
even  right  up  alongside  as  the  lure  left  the  water. 

USE    SMALL    SPOONS 

"  And  another  thing,"  said  Earny,  as  he  wiped 
the  smoke  out  of  his  eyes.  "  Some  of  the  spoons 
and  spinners  they  bring  up  into  this  country  are  some 
size.  They  sure  use  'em  too  large.  I  have  always 
found  a  small  spoon,  say  a  No.  2  or  3,  about  right 
for  most  fishing.  Of  course  you  can  use  them  up 
to  No.  6  or  8  on  a  rough  day,  when  the  water  is 
moving  a  bit,  but  the  great  big  chunks  of  tin  they 
try  out  on  the  musky  sure  must  look  funny  to  the  old 
boys  when  they  go  by.  It  seems  they  think  the 


TIPS  FROM  THE  GUIDES  141 

larger  the  spoon  the  larger  the  fish,  but  I've  caught 
'em  up  to  40  pounds  with  a  little  fellow,  and  I  stick 
to  that  kind  because  it  gets  the  fish. 

"  Striking  at  the  right  time  is  another  point,"  he 
said  as  we  started  work  on  the  piping  hot  grub,  fit 
for  a  king  —  at  least  it  tasted  so  after  a  day's  steady 
work  at  casting.  "  With  the  plugs  they  don't  strike 
soon  enough  and  with  the  natural  bait  they  strike  too 
soon.  Unless  a  fish  hooks  itself  by  accident  when 
he  hits  the  artificial  plug,  the  majority  of  fishermen 
are  not  ready  to  strike  at  the  right  time.  You've 
got  to  strike  'em  the  minute  they  hit  the  plug  or  they 
throw  it  out.  I  think  where  the  fall-down  comes  is 
in  not  practicing  the  transfer  of  the  rod  from  the 
right  to  the  left  hand.  Just  before  the  plug  hits  the 
water,  the  reel  should  be  stopped,  and,  while  the  rod 
is  being  swung  from  the  right  to  the  left,  the  retrieve 
of  the  plug  should  be  started  by  a  backward  move 
of  the  rod.  This  takes  up  the  slack  at  the  start, 
gives  your  lure  the  right  position,  and  still  you  have 
enough  space  to  swing  the  rod  farther  back  to  strike 
your  fish  quickly  if  you  get  a  strike.  With  the  live 
minnows,  however,  these  same  fellows  never  give  the 
fish  a  chance  to  swallow  the  bait.  The  bass,  pike, 
pickerel  or  wall-eye  generally  takes  but  a  small  hold 
on  the  live  bait  and  striking  at  that  time,  before  he 
gets  a  chance  to  take  it  away  for  a  short  run,  just 
pulls  the  bait  out  of  his  mouth.  I  say  let  'em  swal- 
low it  —  they  ought  to  at  least  have  that  pleasure 


i42      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

anyway  —  then  give  a  quick,  sharp  strike  with  a 
wrist  movement.  Instead  of  this,  quite  a  few  of  the 
boys  seem  to  think  they've  got  to  pump  the  fish  clean 
out  of  the  water.  At  least  that's  the  way  it  looks 
to  me  when  I  see  them  give  a  long,  swinging  sweep 
of  the  arm  to  the  strike. 

GIVE   YOUR    BAIT   A    CHANCE 

"  Of  course  you  can't  expect  a  strike  on  every 
cast,"  Earny  said,  as  he  pulled  the  boat  to  a  favorite 
underwater  weed  bed  where  we  intended  to  take  a 
whirl  at  dusk  casting,  "  but  some  of  the  boys  put  on 
a  '  dowie,'  give  it  a  few  tosses  and  then  spend  ten 
minutes  good  casting  time  changing  to  another  bait. 
And  they  keep  this  up  all  day,  never  giving  any  one 
particular  bait  a  chance  to  make  good.  To  get  fish 
you've  got  to  keep  the  bait  in  the  water,  and  while 
it's  in  the  water  keep  it  moving.  I  believe  in  reeling 
in  fast,  as  a  game  fish  strikes  on  the  impulse.  He 
don't  take  much  time  to  think  about  it  and  you  should 
help  out  the  game  by  keeping  the  bait  moving,  as 
this  helps  to  deceive  him  into  thinking  it's  escaping 
feed." 

So  you  see,  Old  Timer,  if  you  want  an  earful  of 
real  fishing  facts,  lay  your  cards  on  the  table  with 
your  pal,  the  guide,  and  play  the  game  of  the  out- 
doors clean.  It'll  pay  mighty  well  and  start  a 
friendship  that  will  last  for  years. 


HOT  WEATHER  FISHING 

When  the  days  are  hot  and  the  old  sun  is  doing 
his  best  for  the  corn  and  his  worst  for  the  fisherman, 
it  takes  our  entire  deck  of  tricks  to  lure  the  game 
fish  out  of  the  deep,  cool  holes.  Mid-summer  heat 
drives  the  fish  down  to  great  depth  in  search  of  cold 
water  and  during  only  a  few  hours  in  the  very  early 
morning  and  at  night  do  they  come  into  the  shallows 
to  feed.  At  that  time  casting  will  land  'em;  the  rest 
of  the  day  youVe  simply  to  go  down  for  them  or 
sit  on  the  cabin  porch  and  hold  a  talkfest  on  how 
you  landed  that  "  big  'un  "  a  couple  of  years  ago. 

SEND   THE   BAIT   DOWN 

For  the  hot  weather,  the  greatest  little  old  coaxer 
is  live  bait.  Among  the  most  used  live  kinds  are 
the  minnow,  worms,  helgramite,  crawfish  and  frogs, 
while  the  grasshopper  if  used  as  a  surface  bait  on 
streams  will  get  a  rise  out  of  a  big  trout  or  bass 
when  he  wouldn't  even  take  a  look  at  a  fly. 

If  you  are  after  bass,  Old  Man,  when  the  mercury 
is  popping  high,  locate  a  sand-bar  or  spring  hole 
anywhere  from  thirty  to  a  hundred  feet  down,  if 
your  fishing  waters  go  that  deep,  and  let  your  little 
old  live  bait  slowly  settle  to  them  and  you  will  get 

143 


144      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

bass  when  the  other  fellow  finds  it  necessary  to  be 
satisfied  with  pan  fish.  Right  in  mid-season,  when 
the  mercury  was  flirting  with  the  QO-degree  mark 
on  an  afternoon,  I  have  had  plenty  of  sport  still- 
fishing  for  small-mouth  bass.  On  Black  Lake  in 
northern  Wisconsin,  with  Earny  Wendt,  the  livest 
little  old  guide  that  ever  handled  a  paddle,  we  have 
often  located  a  school  of  small-mouth  and  by  send- 
ing our  mud  minnows  down  to  them,  depleted  the 
school  to  such  an  extent  that  the  old  "  he-wop  " 
teacher  closed  up  for  want  of  scholars.  The  water 
is  exceptionally  clear  in  Black  Lake  and  at  from 
thirty  to  forty  feet,  Earny,  with  his  eagle  eyes,  could 
locate  a  school  of  bass  and  we  would  quietly  fish  it 
to  a  fare-you-well.  From  one  school  of  eleven  fine 
fellows  we  took  eight  before  they  wised  up  to  the 
fact  that  there  was  a  string  to  the  bait  offer.  Often 
three  or  four  bass  would  make  a  dart  for  the  minnow 
only  to  be  disappointed  by  the  winner  swimming  off 
with  his  prey  to  stop  and  swallow  it  at  his  leisure. 
The  run  of  the  bass  in  this  school,  before  stopping 
to  swallow  the  bait,  varied  from  40  to  90  feet. 

SPORT    FIT    FOR   A    KING 

A  few  seasons  ago  at  a  lake  that  is  considered 
very  civilized  waters  and  which  has  been  fished  to 
a  finish  for  the  past  twenty  years,  three  fishermen 
landed  as  nice  a  bunch  of  small-mouth  bass  on  a  hot 
August  day  as  ever  falls  to  the  lot  of  an  angler,  and 


HOT  WEATHER  FISHING  145 

at  that  generally  in  his  dreams.  With  a  sun  that 
burned  through  their  shirts,  these  knights  of  the  rod 
stuck  to  a  spring  hole  they  had  located  and  from  90 
feet  of  water  caught  48  small-mouth  bass,  ten  of 
which  ranged  from  3^  to  5  pounds.  And  the  bait 
they  used  was  the  common,  wiggling  angleworm. 
That  same  day  many  fishermen  were  casting  in  the 
shallows  and  failed  to  bring  in  enough  bass  to  make 
a  fair-sized  breakfast. 

BIG   ONES    WERE   THERE 

The  wall-eyed  pike  is  by  nature  a  bottom  fish  and 
at  any  time  of  the  season  you  have  to  go  down  for 
him,  although  at  night  he  often  comes  into  the  shal- 
lows to  feed.  The  usual  thing  is  to  troll  for  them 
in  from  15  to  30  feet  of  water.  I  have  always  had 
an  idea,  Old  Timer,  that  in  deep  lakes  you.  could  find 
him  in  warm  weather  in  deeper  water.  I  tried  it 
out  and  sure  enough  I  found  him  there.  I  trolled 
over  a  piece  of  near  shore  water,  with  a  depth  of 
about  15  feet,  and  the  average  wall-eye  caught 
ranged  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  pounds.  I  then 
rigged  up  a  regular  deep-water  trolling  rig,  gener- 
ally used  for  lake  trout,  and  the  first  strike  was  a 
six-pounder.  I  trolled  back  and  forth  over  this 
stretch  of  water  and  landed  seven  wall-eyed  ranging 
from  three  and  a  quarter  to  seven  and  a  half  pounds. 
The  average  depth  of  the  water  was  about  45  feet, 
it  varying  between  30  and  60  feet. 


146      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
HOW   TO    MAKE   THE   RIG 

The  rig  for  this  deep  trolling  is  easily  assembled 
and  it  sure  takes  your  bait  down  to  them.  Take  an 
eight-ounce  cone-shaped  sinker  and  attach  it  to  the 
end  of  your  line  with  a  swivel ;  then  take  three  pieces 
of  line  about  three  feet  long  and  attach  the  first  piece 
with  a  swivel  to  the  line  about  three  feet  above  the 
sinker.  Three  feet  above  the  first  line  attach  the 
second  with  a  swivel,  and  three  feet  above  that  at- 
tach the  other  with  a  swivel.  On  the  three  ends  of 
these  lines  swivel  on  an  eight-inch  piano  wire  leader, 
because  the  big  wall-eyed  pike  have  teeth  that  will 
cut  through  a  line  or  gut  leader.  To  your  leaders 
attach  either  a  single  hook  or  a  treble  as  you  prefer, 
and  bait  each  of  these  hooks  with  a  six  to  eight-inch 
shiner  or  golden  chub.  Let  your  line  down  and  find 
bottom,  then  troll  along  very  slowly.  The  wall- 
eyed will  strike  very  mildly  for  his  size  and  swim 
away  slowly  with  the  bait.  Let  him  take  it  some 
distance,  then  strike  him  and  if  he  is  any  size  you 
will  have  a  fine  time  bringing  him  up  to  the  boat. 
Fact  is,  he  will  probably  make  a  couple  of  runs  back 
to  the  bottom  just  when  you  think  you  have  him  to 
net.  With  this  rig  I  had  the  fun  of  landing  two 
wall-eyed  pike  at  once,  a  three  and  three-quarter 
pounder  and  a  five  and  a  quarter  and  you  can  take  it 
from  me,  Old  Timer,  I  knew  there  was  something  on 
the  line  when  they  both  began  to  "  act  up  "  for  com- 


HOT  WEATHER  FISHING  147 

pany.  In  making  this  rig  I  think  you  will  save 
tackle  by  using  a  weaker  piece  of  line  for  your  sinker 
connection  than  your  reel  line,  as  the  sinker  is  liable 
to  catch  in  the  rocks  on  the  bottom,  and  if  the  con- 
necting line  is  weaker,  it  will  break  and  you  only  lose 
the  sinker.  A  small  spoon,  say  about  a  No.  3,  placed 
in  front  of  the  bait  will  make  it  more  attractive,  or 
an  Archer  spinner  ought  to  look  good  to  most  wall- 
eye. 


LITTLE  POINTS  THAT  COUNT 

There  are  lots  of  little  points  to  the  fishing  game 
that  a  fellow  overlooks  in  his  effort  to  acquire  a 
working  knowledge  of  the  main  show  under  the  big 
top,  and  any  one  of  these  "  little  fellers  "  may  mean 
the  loss  of  a  fine  old  specimen  of  the  finny  tribe. 
And  hear  me,  you  fishermen,  is  there  anything  more 
cussed  uncomfortable  than  to  lose  a  fish,  after  you 
once  hook  him,  through  some  little  old  piece  of  tackle 
giving  up  the  ghost  right  when  it  should  not  or 
through  the  fact  that  some  info  tip  has  been  for- 
gotten in  the  excitement  of  hooking  the  big  one? 
And  should  this  happen  in  the  presence  of  a  fellow 
artist,  good-night!  'Twill  be  many  a  day  before 
you  hear  the  last  of  it,  and  much  advice  will  be 
handed  you  on  the  subject  of  how  the  other  fellow 
would  have  handled  the  strike. 

ACCURACY   VS.    DISTANCE 

In  bait-casting,  accuracy  in  placing  the  bait  in  the 
right  spot  is  really  the  greatest  essential;  far  greater, 
in  fact,  than  distance,  which  most  fellows  seem  to 
develop  more  than  anything  else.  Slamming  the 
bait  way  over  into  the  next  county  may  get  you  a 
strike  now  and  then,  but  deftly  placing  it  in  the  open 

148 


LITTLE  POINTS  THAT  COUNT          149 

pockets  of  the  weed  beds  and  lily  pads  is  a  hundred 
to  one  better  shot  on  landing  a  strike,  and  at  the 
same  time  you  don't  have  to  use  up  a  barrel  of  arnica 
to  reduce  the  stiffness  in  your  casung  arm. 

When  you  start  casting  keep  at  it;  don't  make  a 
few  casts  and  then  loaf  on  the  job  or  look  around 
for  a  new  location.  Cast  into  every  likely  looking 
spot  along  the  weeds,  into  the  pockets,  by  the  wind- 
falls and  logs,  every  old  place  that  you  think  a  bass 
may  be  hanging  around  hoping  for  a  feed.  Keep 
your  bait  in  the  water  and  moving.  Of  course,  a 
fellow  cannot  expect  a  strike  on  every  cast,  but  plac- 
ing them  right  and  keeping  at  it  increases  your 
chances  and  lowers  the  lost  time  on  the  fishing 
waters.  One  carelessly  thrown  cast  not  only  kills 
that  cast,  but  usually  takes  up  enough  time  to  kill  two 
or  three,  and  when  you  figure  that  you  generally  get 
a  strike  on  an  average  of  every  50  to  60  casts,  it  pays 
to  make  'em  all  count.  And  also  from  another 
angle  the  careless  cast  gets  a  black  eye.  Many  fish 
have  been  frightened  out  of  good  casting  spots  by  a 
shot  in  the  wrong  place.  Rather  toss  the  bait,  say 
30  or  40  feet  and  land  it  right,  than  shoot  it  70  feet 
and  land  it  any  old  place. 

KEEP   THE    LINE   TAUT 

Up  out  of  the  water  and  back  again  is  a  favorite 
trick  of  the  bass,  and  if  he  lands  on  a  taut  line  when 
he  flops  back,  he  nearly  always  makes  a  getaway. 


150      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

As  he  comes  up  out  of  the  water  let  your  rod 
straighten  out  and  give  him  slack,  but  take  it  away 
from  him  as  he  strikes  the  water.  Except  when  a 
bass  breaks  water,  the  line  should  be  taut  at  all  times, 
and  a  bend  kept  in  the  rod.  This  spring  of  the  rod 
is  the  pressure  that  eventually  tires  him  while  you  are 
playing  him.  Trying  to  hurry  the  fish  to  the  net  is 
often  the  cause  of  a  lost  big  one.  Give  him  line 
when  he  wants  it,  but  make  him  fight  for  it,  reeling 
in  at  every  chance.  If  you  have  him  out  in  clean 
water,  away  from  the  weeds  and  snags  of  the  shal- 
lows, give  him  a  bit  of  line  and  enjoy  a  real  piece  of 
sport  by  playing  him  until  he  shows  his  wide  side  up. 
When  you  bring  a  fish  to  net,  lead  him  up  to  the 
net  head  first.  Have  the  net  about  a  foot  under 
water  and  lead  your  fish  right  into  it.  Don't  move 
the  net  towards  him.  That  scares  a  fish  into  a  fight 
of  renewed  vigor  that  will  likely  end  with  a  lost  fish. 
Keep  the  net  perfectly  still  and  when  he  is  inside  raise 
it  with  a  quick  motion  into  the  boat. 

WATCH    YOUR   BAIT 

The  majority  of  bass  strike  an  artificial  bait  the 
moment  it  hits  the  water  or  as  it  starts  on  the  way 
back  to  the  caster,  although  at  times  they  will  strike 
close  up  to  the  boat.  This  makes  it  necessary  to 
make  a  quick  transfer  of  the  rod  from  the  right  hand 
to  the  left  and  to  start  reeling  in  the  line  as  the  bait 
hits  the  water.  This  prompt  starting  of  the  reel 


LITTLE  POINTS  THAT  COUNT         151 

gives  you  a  taut  line,  and  many  bass  hit  the  lure  with 
enough  force  to  hook  themselves  if  the  line  is  taut. 
It  also  makes  your  strike  more  effective.  You  have 
a  better  chance  to  set  the  hook  firmly  with  a  taut  line 
than  to  try  it  with  slack.  Developing  the  strike  at 
the  right  moment  is  important  and  skill  in  starting 
the  reel  quickly  can  be  acquired  by  keeping  the  eyes 
on  the  lure  and  not  on  the  reel. 

LINE   WEAKENS   AT    END 

Give  the  line  a  thought  now  and  then,  Old  Man. 
The  wear  on  the  first  few  feet  of  a  line  in  a  day's 
casting  is  considerable  and  it  is  a  mighty  good  plan 
to  test  it  out  before  starting  on  the  morning's  exer- 
cise. The  heavy  artificials  give  the  line  a  sharp  pull 
at  the  start,  and  the  friction  on  the  guides  and  tip 
soon  wear  it  to  a  weak  spot.  Especially  for  the  tail- 
end  fall  fishing  it  is  well  to  be  sure  of  the  line.  At 
this  time,  particularly,  the  bass  seem  to  be  endowed 
with  a  line  of  "  pep  "  and  fighting  spirit  that  makes 
a  rotten  line  easy  picking  for  his  lordship.  Then 
again,  a  worn  line  is  an  expensive  end  of  the  outfit, 
as  many  lures  are  lost  through  the  line  snapping 
while  they  are  en  route  to  the  waiting  fish.  Test 
your  line  before  fishing  by  pulling  it  between  the 
hands  and  break  off  the  weak  end.  As  a  fish  saver 
this  is  sure  some  real  dope. 

For  general  all  round  casting  the  overhead  cast 
is  the  best,  and  it  is  far  more  accurate  than  the  side 


152      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

swipe  and  not  by  far  as  dangerous  to  your  fishing 
companion.  At  times  when  it  is  advisable  to  throw 
a  long  one,  or  the  natural  conditions  make  it  neces- 
sary, the  side  cast  can  be  used  to  advantage.  But 
for  steady  casting  and  placing  your  bait  right,  the 
overhead  has  'em  all  panting  for  breath. 


A  few  game  beauties  from  Northern  Wisconsin,  all  played  and  landed 
on  light  tackle  handled  with  skill.     On  the  left,  Fred  11.   Farnsworth,  of 
Chicago,  with  a  37-pound  muskellunge,  which  he  landed  in  the  wat- 
Arbor  Vit;e  Lake.     The  rod  used  was  a  5j4-6unce  split  bamboo  and  the 
lure  a  fairly  large  sucker. 


Upper  center,  Robert  H.  Moulton,  of  Chicago,  netting  a  7;_j-pound 
large-mouth  bass  in  the  Eagle  River  waters.  Mr.  Moulton  fought  this 
old  grand-daddy  with  a  5-ounce  rod  and  brought  him  to  net  unassisted. 


On  the  right,  Theodore  Nordholm,  of  Chicago,  and  a  23-pound  pike 
he  landed  from  Gillette  Lake.  Xordholm's  line  was  considerably  weakened 
by  continued  casting  and  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  play  this  game  fin 
thirty  minutes  before  he  could  Hop  him  into  the  boat.  The  line  later 
tested  out  at  8^2  pounds  on  the  break.  Some  skill  at  the  game,  old-timer. 


Lower  center,  small-mouth  bass,  weight  6^2  pounds,  caught  by  Walter 
Marggraf,  of  Chicago,  in  the  Wisconsin  River,  at  Eagle  River.  The 
northern  reaches  of  the  Wisconsin  River  are  ideal  small-mouth  waters. 


WHAT  MAKES  'EM  DO  IT 

Fishing,  like  most  everything  else,  has  its  share  of 
contradictions.  Outside  of  the  general  run  of  the 
game  such  as  bait,  plug  or  fly  casting  and  the  method 
of  tossing  the  lure  to  the  eager  fish,  you  are  likely, 
Old  Man,  to  find  the  entire  deck  of  rules  and  regu- 
lations passed  into  the  discard  by  the  fish  themselves. 

Of  course,  a  knowledge  of  the  habits  and  home 
life  of  the  different  fish,  gained  through  study  and 
observation,  gives  us  a  basis  upon  which  we  can 
safely  rely  in  our  efforts  to  entice  the  big  fins  to  a 
closer  acquaintanceship.  At  the  same  time  the  ex- 
periences of  fellow  anglers  add  much  valuable  data 
upon  which  to  base  out  campaigns  "  somewhere  on 
the  waters." 

With  all  this  dope  on  the  "  how  "  of  the  game 
packed  away  in  our  gray  matter  and  the  tackle  box 
jammed  to  the  lid,  with  the  few  extras  stuck  in  the 
grip,  we  feel  that  we  have  'em  yelping  for  help  be- 
fore we  even  hit  the  steel  for  the  home  grounds  of 
the  game  boys. 

MUSKY   WITH   AN   APPETITE 

Following  rule  'steen  hundred  or  so,  we  select  a 
nice  little  shiner  about  eight  inches  long  for  a  try  at 

i53 


154      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

the  musky.  Down  in  our  heart  we  have  a  sort  of 
feeling  that  the  bait  is  too  large ;  it  looks  mighty  big 
in  the  water.  Then  the  strike,  the  rapid  fight  of  the 
wolf  of  the  waters,  the  landing  and  finally  the  hero 
stuff  as  you  reach  camp  with  a  3<>poimder.  This 
is  the  usual  musky  story,  but  along  comes  Ed. 
Dressel,  a  light  tackle  enthusiast,  who  hooks  a  30- 
pounder  on  a  small  red  Jamison  bass  fly  and  on  land- 
ing the  musky  Ed.  is  surprised  to  find  the  feet  and 
legs  of  a  full-grown  mud  hen  sticking  out  of  the 
fish's  throat.  He  had  not  been  able  to  entirely 
swallow  this  water-fowl  before  he  took  a  wallop  at 
a  little  old  bass  fly.  And  what  shows  him  up  as  a 
real  hog  of  the  first  water  is  the  fact  that  another 
mud-hen  was  found  in  his  stomach  by  the  taxidermist 
who  stuffed  him. 

What  makes  'em  do  it?  Here  is  a  musky  gorged 
to  the  mouth  on  about  5^  pounds  of  eats  and  he 
meets  his  Waterloo  because  he  took  a  crack  at  a  little 
feathered  hook  about  three  inches  long.  Hunger 
certainly  did  not  drive  him  to  it,  that's  a  dead  sure 
bet,  and  a  possible  explanation  is  that  he  hit  the  fly 
because  his  instinct  is  to  attack.  Then  again,  Ed. 
might  have  tossed  that  fly  all  around  him  without 
the  musky  giving  it  even  so  much  as  a  glance. 

FULL   OF    FOOD   AND    FIGHT 

This  fighting  instinct  is  not  to  be  credited  to  the 
musky  alone  because  it  crops  out  strong  in  both  the 


WHAT  MAKES  'EM  DO  IT  155 

large  and  small-mouth  bass,  as  well  as  the  pike  and 
pickerel.  Recently  in  a  small  lake  in  Michigan  a 
four-pound  large-mouth  bass  was  caught  on  a  white 
Wilson  wobbler  and  this  old-timer  had  a  i4-ounce 
croppie  stuck  in  his  mouth.  A  photograph  of  this 
bass  shows  that  his  mouth  is  stretched  to  the  limit 
and  that  the  job  of  inhaling  the  croppie  was  just 
about  the  largest  meal  he  ever  attempted.  Yet  with 
as  much  speed  and  dash  as  he  could  manage,  with 
such  a  mouthful,  this  bass  made  a  savage  attack  and 
succeeded  in  hooking  himself  in  the  side  of  the 
mouth.  Which  seems  to  point  to  the  fact  that  the 
bass  strikes  not  always  for  hunger,  but  with  the  idea 
of  showing  that  they  are  the  boss  of  the  home  waters 
and  resent  the  approach  of  the  wiggling,  wobbling 
lures  as  they  splash  in  their  locality. 

Most  musky,  pike  and  pickerel  are  caught  on  very 
small  lures.  Artificial  minnows  and  plugs  ranging 
from  two  inches  to  four  inches  seem  to  make  the 
deepest  impression  on  these  old  barbarians,  while 
more  strikes  are  lost  with  the  larger  lures,  notwith- 
standing that  they  are  touted  by  some  tackle  dealers 
as  big  fish  killers.  The  larger  artificials  will  attract 
the  big  ones,  but  it  seems  that  the  fish  can  get  a 
leverage  on  the  larger  lures,  while  they  cannot  on 
the  smaller  ones.  On  the  larger  baits  the  tail  hooks 
are  often  torn  out  by  the  fish  and  it  appears  they  are 
able  to  shake  them  loose  far  more  easily  than  the 
ordinary  bass  plug.  For  general  all-round  bait  cast- 


156      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

ing,  whether  you  are  after  these  old  roughnecks  of 
the  weed  beds  or  the  gamer  scrapper,  the  bass,  you 
can  figure  it  both  ways  from  the  jack  that  the  smaller 
lure  has  it  all  over  the  larger  one. 

And  spoons,  Old  Man  —  can  you  dope  it  out  why 
a  gray-whiskered  musky,  victor  of  many  a  hard- 
fought  battle,  with  a  mouth  like  a  coal  scuttle,  will 
delight  in  snapping  his  jaws  over  a  little  No.  3  sized 
spoon  hook?  Records  of  the  big  fellows  caught  on 
the  spoon  during  the  past  season  show  that  the 
average  sized  spoon  used  was  around  a  No.  7,  while 
the  largest  musky  ever  known  to  be  caught  with  a 
rod,  line  and  reel  answered  to  the  flash  of  a  No.  8 
spoon.  Of  course,  according  to  the  size  of  a  fish,  a 
fellow  dopes  out  that  he  needs  a  big  old  spoon, 
around  a  No.  12  or  No.  14,  and  at  that  it  looks 
mighty  small  for  the  big  ones,  but  the  fact  remains 
that  the  big  fellows  really  go  crazy  over  the  medium 
sized  spoons  which,  twirling  around,  flash  an  irre- 
sistible invitation  to  the  big  fins  to  come  and  strike 
one. 


FIFTY  LARGE-MOUTH  BASS  AND  HOW 
THEY  CAME  TO  GAFF 

A  REVIEW  OF  THE  BAITS,  THE  TIME  AND  THE 

CONDITION  OF  THE  WEATHER  WHEN 

THESE   BASS  WERE   LANDED 

What  is  really  the  best  bass  bait  is  a  question  that 
would  stagger  any  fisherman;  that  is,  to  give  any- 
thing more  than  a  general  idea  of  what  has  been 
considered  the  regular  old  line  dope.  But  giving  a 
line  of  information  based  on  the  experiences  of  fifty 
fishermen  during  a  single  season,  stacks  us  up  against 
a  real  bunch  of  facts  and  figures  that  makes  good 
data  for  our  memory  book.  What  color  makes  the 
old  "  he-wop  "  fighting  mad,  and  at  what  part  of 
the  season  is  he  particularly  fond  of  the  chunk  of 
red  cedar,  the  fat  juicy  pork  rind,  or  the  wiggling 
minnow  and  frog? 

Here's  the  dope  on  fifty  large-mouth  bass  weigh- 
ing from  five  pounds  up  to  eight  and  one-half,  and 
it  makes  the  past  performance  sheet  of  an  u  also 
ran  "  look  like  an  A-B-C  chart.  Twenty-two  of 
these  bass  answered  to  the  call  of  the  artificial 
wooden  plug  or  bait;  nine  of  them  fell  for  the 
wiggling  pork  rind;  eight  came  to  gaff  through  their 


158      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

desire  to  gorge  on  minnows;  seven  were  tempted  by 
the  little  old  green-backed  frog;  and  four  cashed  in 
at  the  flash  of  the  spoon  hook. 

ARTIFICIAL   PLUGS   WERE   ATTRACTIVE 

Of  the  twenty-two  artificial  lures,  the  majority 
were  shaped  like  a  minnow  and  of  an  average  length 
of  three  and  three-quarter  inches,  which  is  about  the 
standard  length  of  most  plugs  for  bass.  As  a  color 
that  made  'em  "  see  red,"  the  white  stands  out  as 
an  easy  winner  with  eleven  to  its  credit.  But  the 
white  alone  did  not  do  the  trick,  as  eight  of  these 
baits  had  a  dash  of  red;  either  the  head  was  red  or 
the  top  or  flutes  were  so  painted.  A  combination  of 
green  and  white  is  next,  with  four  to  its  credit,  a 
mottled  green  back  and  white  belly  forming  the  gen- 
eral make-up.  The  rainbow  color  slips  in  with  two, 
as  does  the  red,  while  the  yellow  plug  closes  the 
game  with  one.  From  this  it  looks  like  good  dope 
to  count  on  the  white  and  red,  the  green  and  white, 
and  the  rainbow.  It  is  also  of  interest  to  know  that 
the  green  and  white  combination  and  the  rainbow 
colors  were  used  in  the  bright  sunlight  in  exception- 
ally clear  water,  while  the  pure  whites  and  white 
and  reds  were  more  successful  in  the  early  and  later 
hours  and  on  the  murky  days  and  in  rough  water. 
The  green  and  white  and  rainbow  plugs  were  used 
in  July  and  August,  the  whites  through  the  entire 
season. 


FIFTY  LARGE-MOUTH  BASS  159 

PORK   RIND   ALL-SEASON   BAIT 

Lots  of  fishermen  have  overlooked  the  plebeian 
pork  rind  in  the  chase  after  the  wily  big  fins,  but 
now  since  the  high  cost  of  living  has  shot  this  old 
juicy  morsel  up  into  the  turkey  class,  it  probably  will 
be  more  popular.  It  sure  has  a  wiggle  that  makes 
the  bass  cross-eyed  to  get  at  it.  Of  the  nine  bass 
that  were  satisfied  with  a  piece  of  pork,  seven  had 
the  assistance  of  a  small  piece  of  red  flannel  or  yarn 
to  excite  the  curiosity  of  the  fish,  and  six  were  rigged 
up  with  a  small  spinner  or  spoon  in  front  of  the  pork 
rind.  The  pork  rind  bait  w,as  used  right  through 
the  season,  being  particularly  effective  during  July 
and  August  when  the  bass  are  generally  in  the  deep 
holes  except  in  the  early  morning  or  late  night  feed- 
ing. The  wise  ones  will  be  sure  to  carry  a  bottle 
of  pork  rind  in  the  tackle-box,  for  the  days  when  the 
bass  turn  up  their  nose  at  most  any  kind  of  a  bait 
you  offer  them.  Toss  a  little  pork  to  'em  when  you 
are  trying  to  dope  out  the  right  menu  for  the  bronze- 
backer. 

NATURAL   BAITS    FOR    HOT   WEATHER 

The  minnow,  one  of  the  natural  foods  of  the  bass, 
brought  eight  of  these  old-timers  to  the  net,  and  the 
months  of  July  and  August,  which  are  conceded  to 
be  the  months  that  test  the  skill  of  the  bass  fisher- 
man, were  the  ones  in  which  the  minnow  was  most 


160      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

effective.  This,  however,  does  not  prove  that  the 
minnow  is  not  a  tempting  bait  during  the  rest  of  the 
season,  as  it  is  the  general  thing  to  use  the  artificials 
early  and  late  in  the  season,  at  which  time  they  are 
mighty  attractive  lure,  although  early  in  the  morn- 
ing and  late  at  night  and  for  night  fishing  the  ar- 
tificials are  great  little  casting  lures  during  July  and 
August.  Of  the  minnows,  the  silver  shiner  or  dace 
seemed  to  be  the  one  that  tickled  the  palate  of  the 
bass,  probably  the  flash  of  its  silvery  sides  making 
an  invitation  too  strong  for  the  big  fins  to  resist. 
The  mud  minnow,  with  its  yellowish  golden  tint  and 
husky  constitution,  was  second  choice,  with  the  river 
or  creek  chub  closing  the  balloting.  The  silver 
shiner  is  a  fine  bait  for  any  time  or  condition  of 
water  and  is  particularly  good  on  dark  and  cloudy 
days  and  when  the  water  is  rough  or  murky.  The 
chub  is  a  winner  on  bright  days  and  in  clear  and 
still  water,  while  the  mud  minnow  is  a  lively  cuss 
and  is  on  the  job  every  minute  he  is  in  the  water. 
For  a  lively  wiggler,  the  mud  minnow  has  the  rest 
of  the  minnow  family  standing  still.  Three  of 
these  minnows  had  casting  spoons  rigged  on  the 
hook  to  help  the  game  along.  Three  of  the  bass 
were  caught  in  the  shallows  and  five  coaxed  out  of 
the  deep  water  by  letting  the  minnow  sink  after  the 
cast  and  then  reeling  in  the  bait  slowly  a  foot  or  so 
from  the  bottom.  Taking  the  minnow  from  any 
angle,  it  is  a  good  bass  bait,  but  no  doubt  was  not 


FIFTY  LARGE-MOUTH  BASS  161 

used  as  much  as  the  other  lures,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  it  is  hard  to  procure  at  times  and  is  not  as  handy 
as  the  plug  or  pork  rind.  For  deep-water  fishing 
when  the  bass  seem  off  the  feed  it  has  no  equal. 

FROGS    GOOD    FOR    WEED-BEDS 

To  the  hopping  little  green-backed,  white-bellied 
frog,  eight  bass  passed  the  time  of  day  and  were 
hooked  for  their  curiosity,  and  again  July  and 
August  stand  out  as  the  months  in  which  this  natural 
food  made  the  strongest  appeal  to  the  bass.  Three 
of  the  frogs  were  dressed  up  with  a  little  piece  of  red 
flannel  and  five  of  the  fish  were  taken  from  weed 
beds  and  three  from  alongside  of  logs  and  wind- 
falls. In  the  late  season  fishing  in  August  the  cast 
was  made  right  into  the  weeds  and  the  frog  given  a 
chance  to  sink  a  bit,  then  slowly  reeled  in,  then  an- 
other slow-up,  and  so  on  until  the  waiting  bass  struck 
him  in  his  slow  move  among  the  weeds.  Of  course 
a  weedless  hook  was  used  in  most  cases  and  on  three 
of  the  frogs  a  small  spoon  was  carried  as  a  special 
inducement  to  the  bass. 

The  flash  of  the  spoon  was  the  swan  song  of  four 
of  the  bass  and  one  of  these  was  an  eight-and-one- 
half-pounder.  This  old  granddaddy  bass  had 
passed  his  palmy  days  in  a  quarry  hole,  as  clear  and 
cool  as  any  North  Woods  spring-fed  lake,  and  the 
fisherman  who  was  skillful  enough  to  land  this 
whopper  had  tried  out  everything  in  the  bait  line, 


1 62       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

from  grasshoppers  and  minnows  down  to  a  dozen 
plugs  without  even  getting  a  swirl.  He  took  a  final 
chance  on  a  No.  6  spoon  with  a  trebled  bucktail 
hook,  and  the  first  cast  brought  a  short  strike,  while 
the  second  cast  with  the  spoon  was  struck  like  a  42- 
centimeter  shell.  August  and  September  were  the 
months  in  which  these  four  bass  were  landed.  Some 
credit  is  also  due  the  spoon  from  the  fact  that  it  was 
used  with  other  baits.  There  is  nothing  that  makes 
a  piece  of  pork  rind  more  attractive  than  a  very 
small  spoon,  about  a  No.  3J  and  it  is  also  very  effec- 
tive when  used  in  conjunction  with  the  frog  or  min- 
now. 

FALL    FISHING   WELL   IN    LEAD 

As  to  the  time  of  the  season  when  these  fifty  big 
fellows  were  caught,  September  stands  out  as  a 
leader  with  thirteen.  The  run  of  the  catch  in  the 
other  months  stacks  up  May  three,  June  six,  July 
ten,  August  eleven,  and  October  seven.  However, 
the  majority  of  the  followers  of  the  call  of  the  lake 
and  stream  take  their  main  fishing  trip  during  July, 
August,  or  September,  and  this  in  a  way  accounts 
for  the  big  lead  of  the  months  of  July  and  August, 
which  are  noted  as  hot-weather  fishing-days  that 
often  give  the  bass  the  "  off-the-feed "  feeling. 
Early  season  bass-fishing  is  by  far  the  best,  although 
the  fall  fishing  runs  it  a  close  second  as  the  days  of 
real  bass  sport  with  rod  and  reel.  And  at  that, 


FIFTY  LARGE-MOUTH  BASS  163 

after  the  water  has  cooled  a  bit,  the  added  ginger 
in  the  fighting  qualities  of  the  bass  makes  the  late 
season  fishing  stand  out  as  the  one  best  bet  in  the 
game  of  enticing  the  old  seasoned  veteran  out  of  his 
home  waters. 

Dividing  the  twenty-four  fishing-hours  of  the  day 
into  four  sections,  the  morning  hours  from  4  A.  M. 
to  9  A.  M.  carry  off  the  largest  number  of  fish,  seven- 
teen being  pegged  up  for  that  period,  with  the  time 
from  4  P.  M.  to  9  p.  M.  nosing  in  a  close  second  with 
sixteen  on  the  Scoreboard.  Night  casting  comes  in 
for  a  nice  little  honor,  the  period  from  9  P.  M.  to  4 
A.  M.  showing  ten  bass,  while  the  mid-day  fishing 
from  9  A.  M.  to  4  P.  M.  lands  seven.  It  was  an  easy 
bet  that  the  early  morning  and  late  afternoon  fishing 
would  cop  the  main  event,  as  that  is  the  time  most 
of  the  fellows  make  their  greatest  drive,  but  it  is 
pleasing  to  note  that  the  night  fishing  ran  strong. 
No  doubt  the  night  game  would  have  made  a  better 
showing  had  that  period  included  some  of  the  later 
hours  of  the  four  to  nine  period  which  practically 
come  under  the  night  casting.  An  interesting  fact  is 
that  eight  of  these  bass  caught  during  the  night  were 
landed  in  August,  and  this  seems  to  prove  that  the 
bass  feed  more  at  night  during  the  hot  "  dog  days  " 
than  at  any  other  time  of  the  day.  Another  little 
tip  that  is  worth  remembering  is  that  the  bass  caught 
during  the  mid-day  period  were,  with  the  exception 
of  one  lone  bass,  taken  on  live  bait,  either  the  min- 


1 64      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

now  or  frog.  The  artificial  lure  which  coaxed  the 
sleepy,  lazy  bass  into  striking  during  his  mid-day 
siesta  was  a  little  two-inch  copper  enameled  under- 
water minnow  that  was  cast  out  over  a  sand  bar.  It 
was  allowed  to  sink  and  then  reeled  slowly  across 
the  bar. 

Shooting  a  glance  across  the  dope  sheet  we  find 
that  the  artificial  lures  have  a  big  lead,  with  the  most 
popular  color  a  white  with  a  dash  of  red.  The  live 
natural  food  of  the  bass,  the  minnows  and  frogs, 
make  a  fine  showing  in  the  hot  weather  months, 
when  it  takes  some  work  to  land  'em  while  the  small 
spoon  makes  a  hit  as  a  helper  by  adding  to  the  at- 
tractiveness of  some  of  the  other  baits.  The  early 
and  late  day  fishing  have  a  nice  lead  while  September 
puts  the  fall  fishing  at  the  head  of  the  class. 

The  bass,  Old  Timer,  is  a  queer  cuss  and  at  the 
same  time  he  is  about  as  wise  as  any  fish  that  wags 
a  tail.  To  get  him  in  any  waters  you  have  to  study 
those  waters  and  locate  his  home  grounds.  Keep 
your  bait  in  the  water  and  keep  it  moving,  and  what- 
ever bait  you  are  using,  give  it  a  fair  try-out  before 
you  change  to  another.  A  fellow  can  kill  more  good 
fishing  time  changing  baits  than  most  any  other  way, 
and  the  casts  you  lose  probably  are  the  ones  the  big 
fins  miss. 


THE  MUSKY 

Have  you  back-heeled  your  rod  on  a  musky 
And  fought  him  an  hour  without  pause, 

On  a  silk-line  that  wasn't  too  husky  — 
That  wirelessed  the  smash  of  his  jaws? 

Have  you  felt  of  him  down  in  there  crashing, 
And  gave  him  the  slack  when  he  came 

To  the  top  like  a  meteor  flashing, 
Dead-weary,  but  sullen  and  game! 

Have  you  sensed  his  wild  scurries  diminish 

Except  for  a  half-hearted  flare, 
As  you  nursed  him  along  to  the  finish  — 

You've  done  it!     Well,  partner,  you're  there! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 

FIFTY  MUSKY  AND  HOW  THEY  CAME 
TO  GAFF 

A  REVIEW  OF  THE  BAITS,   THE  TIME  OF  THE  YEAR 

AND    DAY    AND    THE    WEATHER    CONDITIONS 

WHEN  THESE  BIG  FINS  WERE  LANDED 

Cut  the  cards,  Old  Scout,  because  we're  going  to 
sit-in  for  a  few  hands  with  the  musky,  the  livest  big 
fin  of  the  inland  waters.  And  beginning  with  the 

165 


1 66       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

"  openers,"  we  sure  have  to  keep  our  eyes  on  the 
game  or  the  wiley  old  rascal  will  make  a  get-away 
with  the  kitty.  Many  sure-enough  fishermen,  who 
have  never  had  the  undiluted  pleasure  of  bringing  a 
man's-sized  musky  to  gaff,  tilt  the  nose  skyward  at 
some  of  the  tales  brought  from  the  musky  country 
and  for  that  reason  half  has  never  been  told  about 
this  game  old  boy. 

From  experience  we  find  that  the  musky  has  a 
varied  menu  and  one  of  all  sizes.  Also  that  he  is 
willing  to  go  more  than  half  way  in  the  matter  of 
accommodating  the  angler  by  striking  most  anything 
tossed  to  him.  He  never  travels  in  a  crowd  but  is 
a  lone  hunter,  and  his  favorite  spots  are  over  sub- 
merged weed  beds,  off  the  edge  of  weed  beds,  water 
lilies  or  the  grasses  that  grow  in  the  water.  Along- 
side of  a  submerged  rock  he  will  wait  on  the  look- 
out for  passing  fish,  then  with  a  lightning  dart  he 
swirls  out,  closes  his  jaws  on  the  feed  and  swims  back 
to  his  hangout,  there  to  gorge  it,  ready  in  a  minute 
to  make  another  dash  to  fill  the  feed-bag.  The 
musky  always  strikes  a  lure  or  fish  sideways  and  he 
strikes  with  plenty  of  force,  often  nosing  a  plug  way 
up  in  the  air  when  he  strikes  short. 

WHAT  THE   BIG   FINS   FALL   FOR 

To  the  fellow  who  has  never  muskied  much,  but 
who  has  a  deep  buried  ambition  to  take  a  wallop 
at  this  end  of  the  game,  and  also  the  every-day 


FIFTY  MUSKY  167 

musky  enthusiast,  the  following  line  of  info  gathered 
from  the  experiences  of  fifty  of  the  boys  who  landed 
musky  weighing  from  twenty  to  sixty-one  pounds, 
will  make  mighty  good  dope  to  paste  on  the  inside 
of  your  tackle  box,  and,  incidentally  save  you  from 
packing  a  line  of  whopping  big  spoons  and  lures  in 
the  outfit  when  you  make  your  initial  attempt  at  a 
close-up  view  of  this  old  barbarian  in  his  home 
waters. 

For  many  years  the  general  method  of  coaxing 
the  musky  to  gaff  has  been  trolling,  with  fairly  stiff 
and  strong  tackle,  but  the  swan  song  of  these  fifty 
big  fins  indicates  that  the  light  tackle  and  casting 
are  coming  to  the  front  as  the  real  sporting  game 
for  musky.  Against  twenty-two  caught  by  trolling, 
there  looms  up  twenty-eight  caught  by  casting,  and 
a  majority  of  six  is  not  at  all  bad  for  an  end  of  the 
game  that  is  practically  new.  And  of  those  landed 
through  casting,  seventeen  checked  in  on  steel  rods, 
nine  on  bait  casting  split  bamboo,  while  two  had  the 
extreme  honor  of  being  fought  to  a  finish  with  light 
bamboo  fly  rods. 

Do  you  get  the  drift,  Old  Timer,  of  the  fight  these 
musky  made  on  the  off  end  of  a  six-ounce  fly  rod? 
It's  a  man's-sized  job  to  land  a  musky  on  fairly 
strong  tackle,  but  to  trim  one  in  on  a  little  old  whippy 
fly  rod  surely  calls  for  clever  work  and  skill  against 
the  brute  strength  and  cunning  of  the  musky.  Fifty 
minutes  of  wonderful  fight  was  the  record  of  one  of 


1 68      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

these  fly  rod  battles  of  tackle  skill  against  musky  wile 
before  the  old  dog  would  say  "  uncle."  To  that 
kind  of  sport  I  doff  the  lid,  it's  sure  some  fighting, 
boy,  some  fighting. 

Of  the  baits  and  lures  dished  up  to  these  favored 
fifty,  we  find  that  twenty-one  took  a  chance  on  the 
spoon,  thirteen  preferred  artificial  plugs,  eight  ended 
it  all  on  suckers  or  shiners,  four  were  introduced  to 
Mr.  Frog,  two  took  the  pork  chunk  (without  the 
beans)  and  two  fell  for  the  bass  fly  and  spinner. 

CASTING   FOR   MUSKY   POPULAR 

As  trolling  in  the  past  has  been  the  accepted  man- 
ner of  going  after  musky,  so  has  the  spoon  been  con- 
sidered the  lure  de  luxe.  But  in  digging  into  the 
matter  we  find  that  only  fifteen  of  the  twenty-one 
fish  caught  on  the  spoon  were  landed  through  troll- 
ing, the  other  six  being  caught  by  casting.  In  size 
the  spoon  sure  takes  a  drop  from  what  most  innocent 
bystanders  consider  the  right  tool  for  the  work. 
The  largest  spoon  used  was  a  No.  12  and  the 
smallest  a  No.  3,  the  general  average  being  a  No.  7. 
And  the  largest  musky  of  the  lot,  the  6i-pounder, 
was  caught  on  a  No.  8  spoon  with  a  large  sized  frog 
hooked  on  to  the  trebled  hooks.  In  stocking  up  the 
tackle  box  for  the  season  keep  the  spoons  down  to 
the  smaller  sizes  and  you'll  sure  find  more  use  for 
the  stringer.  The  great  big  affairs  are  not  of  any 
use  and  besides  that  they  take  up  room  in  the  tackle 


FIFTY  MUSKY  169 

box  and  go  at  excess  baggage  rates,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  fact  that  guides  often  get  a  quiet  laugh  out 
of  an  inspection  of  a  musky  kit.  As  to  the  finish  of 
the  spoons,  thirteen  were  nickel,  five  brass  and  three 
copper. 

Of  the  artificial  or  wooden  plugs,  three  were  of 
large  size  while  ten  were  the  ordinary  bass  casting 
baits.  In  the  matter  of  colors,  the  white  with  red 
trimmings  comes  in  with  five,  the  rainbow  has  three 
to  its  credit,  perch  color  two,  with  a  scattering  of  one 
each  to  the  other  colors.  As  with  the  bass,  it  seems 
that  the  white  with  the  touch  of  red  makes  the  lure 
that  caused  'em  to  hop  right  up  and  say  "  howdy 
boys." 

BLACK   SUCKER   A   FAVORITE 

The  black  sucker  was  the  favorite  natural  bait, 
with  a  record  of  five,  while  the  shiner  pegs  along 
with  two  and  the  perch  also  two,  the  size  of  these 
baits  ranging  from  six  to  nine  inches.  And  by  the 
way,  when  suckers  and  shiners  are  hard  to  get,  just 
take  a  sharp  knife  and  cut  off  the  dorsal  fin  from  a 
fair-sized  perch  and  try  that  out  as  a  musky  bait. 
Cutting  off  the  fin  doesn't  hurt  the  perch,  nor  does 
it  take  any  of  the  wiggle  out  of  him. 

The  frog  doesn't  line  up  very  strong  in  the  lay- 
out, mainly  because  he  is  not  used  so  much  for  the 
big  fellows  (incidentally,  each  of  the  four  frogs  that 
trapped  these  musky  had  a  spoon  geared  on  in  front 


i;o       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

of  it  to  help  matters  along)  and  the  pork  chunk 
probably  hits  it  up  on  low,  to  the  tune  of  two  fish 
for  the  same  reason,  very  few  of  the  boys  feeding 
it  to  the  hungry  musky  —  they  prefer  it  themselves 
a  la  Heinz.  For  the  fellow  who  has  the  pep  to  take 
a  whirl  with  the  fly  rod,  the  dope  shows  that  the 
weighted  red  Ibis  bass  fly  with  a  No.  3  spoon  was 
the  rig  that  made  the  two  big  fins  take  a  chance  on 
the  fly.  And  who  in  the  outfit  would  ever  think  a 
great  big  overgrown  musky,  with  a  mouth  like  a  coal 
scuttle,  would  even  take  a  passing  glance  at  a  little 
red  bass  fly,  let  alone  strike  it? 

As  to  the  time  of  the  season  when  the  musky  is 
most  eager  to  give  battle,  September  leads  with 
fifteen,  July  twelve,  August  ten,  June  eight,  and 
October  five.  Of  course  as  early  as  June  there  are 
not,  as  a  rule,  as  many  fishermen  out  after  the  musky 
as  in  July  or  August,  and  the  same  thing  stands  for 
September.  Without  a  doubt,  June  is  a  better 
month  for  musky  than  either  July  or  August  and  they 
show  almost  as  snappy  a  fight  in  that  month  as 
they  do  in  September  or  October,  when  the  colder 
waters  have  shot  into  them  a  streak  of  pep  that  gives 
a  kick  to  their  tails  like  the  off  hind  leg  of  an  army 
mule. 

MOUTH   IN   POOR   SHAPE 

About  the  middle  of  August  the  musky  loses  his 
teeth,  and  his  mouth  is  in  such  shape  that  it  takes 
something  mighty  aggravating  to  arouse  enough 


FIFTY  MUSKY  171 

anger  to  make  him  forget  his  sore  molars  and  strike. 
There  have  been  some  beautiful  arguments  started 
among  the  fishermen  who  are  still  in  the  pan  fish 
stage  of  the  game  through  the  statement  that  the 
musky  loses  his  teeth  each  year;  however,  as  late  as 
September  tenth  of  last  season  I  examined  three 
musky  caught  on  that  day  and  in  the  mouth  of  each 
was  a  new  set  of  sharp-edged  teeth,  firmly  set,  while 
hanging  loosely  in  the  back  were  still  the  remains  of 
the  old  teeth  which  had  not  entirely  parted  company 
with  their  owners.  This  was  later  than  usual  for 
the  old  teeth  to  remain,  as  they  are  generally  gone 
by  the  first  week  in  September  and  at  times  slightly 
earlier  than  that.  No  doubt  this  law  of  nature  is 
the  same  one  that  governs  the  shedding  of  the  skin 
of  the  snake  and  the  renewing  of  the  horns  of  the 
deer.  At  the  same  time  of  the  year  when  the  musky 
is  changing  his  teeth  the  pickerel  or  pike  have  a 
swelling  of  the  gums  that  puts  them  out  of  the  fight- 
ing game  until  the  gums  go  back  to  normal.  The 
gums  of  the  pike  will  often  swell  clear  over  the  teeth 
and  they  are  very  much  inflamed  and  sore,  making 
eating  some  painful  work. 

These  conditions  during  the  latter  part  of  August 
take  the  muskies  off  their  feed,  but  when  the  mouth 
is  in  good  shape  again  they  are  more  than  anxious 
to  make  up  for  the  last  time  in  filling  the  feed-bag 
to  excess.  This  hungry  condition  and  the  fine  feel- 
ing mouth,  together  with  the  pep  gained  from  the 


172       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

colder  bracing  water,  surely  endows  them  with  more 
energy  than  during  the  warmer  months  and  assures 
the  "  Muskyteer "  of  a  game  antagonist  during 
September  and  October.  The  fact  that  only  five  of 
the  fifty  were  caught  in  October  does  not  stand 
against  this  month,  as  few  of  the  boys  enjoy  the  un- 
alloyed pleasure  of  fishing  for  musky  in  this  month, 
at  which  time  he  is  there  with  a  keen,  clear  brain 
and  a  well  developed  tailful  of  tricks  that  would 
make  a  poker  shark  look  like  an  amateur. 

OVERCAST   DAY   IS   THE    BEST 

Weather  conditions  varied  greatly  when  these  fifty 
muskies  lined  up  for  the  roll  of  honor.  The  day 
was  cloudy  or  overcast  when  nineteen  connected  up 
with  the  hook,  clear  day,  sixteen;  bright  sunny  day, 
eight;  raining,  five;  and  two  were  caught  while  it 
was  snowing.  As  to  the  water  on  these  days, 
eighteen  were  caught  on  comparatively  still  water  or 
slightly  ruffled,  twenty-two  when  the  water  was 
ruffled  or  broken,  and  ten  were  landed  in  rough 
water  with  considerable  wind  blowing.  When  the 
water  is  slightly  roughened  by  the  wind  and  break- 
ing in  small  waves,  or  on  an  overcast  or  cloudy  day, 
makes  good  musky  weather,  although  he  may  sur- 
prise you  in  any  kind  or  style  of  weather  and  strike 
your  lure  while  you  are  loafing  along  into  shore  to 
make  landing  for  the  noonday  grub,  trolling  a  line 
along,  of  course,  for  just  such  an  emergency  strike. 


FIFTY  MUSKY  173 

The  time  of  the  day  did  not  seem  to  cut  much 
figure  in  the  layout  as  three  periods,  morning,  mid- 
day and  afternoon  fishing,  run  about  even.  Morn- 
ing fishing,  from  7  until  n,  heads  the  days 
sports  with  eighteen,  while  both  mid-day  fishing, 
from  1 1  A.  M.  until  3  P.  M.,  and  afternoon  fishing, 
from  3  P.  M.  until  9,  get  credit  for  sixteen  each. 
The  majority  of  the  fish  caught  in  the  morning  and 
afternoon  were  landed  by  casting  while  trolling  was 
the  method  most  used  during  the  mid-day  fishing. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  August,  the  month  in 
which  the  musky  is  least  active,  all  the  fish  caught 
came  to  grief  in  the  early  morning  or  late  afternoon. 
However,  as  the  great  number  of  these  fish  were 
caught  on  the  overcast  days  or  days  without  much 
sun,  the  mid-day  period  shows  up  very  well  for  the 
musky  fishing.  Although  as  a  general  thing  fishing 
is  better  during  the  early  and  late  hours  of  the  day, 
on  an  overcast  or  cloudy  day  there  is  no  reason  why 
it  should  not  be  good  during  the  whole  day,  es- 
pecially if  the  surface  of  the  water  is  a  bit  on  edge. 

RIVER   MUSKY  A    FIGHTER 

The  home  waters  of  thirty-eight  of  these  fifty 
roughnecks  were  located  in  lakes  and  twelve  were 
raised  in  the  rivers  or  streams.  And  right  here  I 
want  to  chalk  up  a  little  dope ;  the  river-raised  musky 
is  a  mighty  husky  proposition  to  handle  for  he's  on 
the  move  more  than  his  lake  brother,  in  his  daily 


174       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

skirmish  for  feed,  and  his  continual  kick  against  the 
current  makes  him  a  mighty  active  cuss  when  you 
connect  up  with  him.  In  fact  it  takes  just  a  little 
keener  work  with  the  tackle  to  land  him,  and  nine 
times  out  of  ten  he  is  a  tiger  musky,  which  is  sure 
some  fighter  to  handle  on  light  tackle.  I  think  the 
river  chap  is  just  a  bit  more  foxy  and  quick  to  avail 
himself  of  the  natural  advantages  of  the  getaway, 
such  as  underwater  logs,  snags,  etc.,  than  the  laker, 
as  he  usually  travels  a  certain  stretch  of  river  year 
in  and  year  out  and  gets  fairly  well  acquainted  with 
every  avenue  of  escape.  I  know  one  old  villain  who 
has  been  kicking  around  at  a  certain  bend  in  the 
Wisconsin  River  three  years,  and  next  season,  or 
some  following  season,  I  hope  to  land  him.  Twice 
he  gave  me  the  once  over  and  departed  at  his  leisure, 
and  I  sure  hand  him  the  credit  of  knowing  his  home 
trails  and  being  able  to  take  care  of  himself  after 
dark. 

EAGLE   RIVER   WATERS    HOME    OF   MUSKY 

Thirty-six  of  these  musky  were  caught  in  Wis- 
consin waters,  eight  were  taken  from  the  St. 
Lawrence  waters,  four  from  lower  Canadian  waters, 
and  two  from  Minnesota.  Wisconsin  stands  out  as 
the  real  home  of  the  musky  and  the  Eagle  River 
waters,  from  which  the  majority  of  these  game  boys 
were  taken,  is  certainly  a  wonderful  breeding  ground 
for  his  lordship.  The  lakes  in  the  Eagle  River 
waters  seem  to  have  just  the  right  formation  under- 


FIFTY  MUSKY  175 

water  to  make  a  happy  hunting  ground  for  the 
musky,  and  they  are  as  plentiful  there  now  as  in  the 
early  days,  in  fact  they  appear  to  be  on  the  increase. 
Taking  a  slant  over  the  deck,  we  find  that  the 
spoon  is  in  the  lead  as  a  musky  lure,  with  the  artificial 
plug  coming  strong.  And  as  more  use  is  made  of 
the  regular-sized  bass  plugs  for  musky  casting,  its 
a  good  bet  that  they  will  keep  on  coming  stronger 
each  year,  until  the  smaller  plug  is  recognized  as 
being  as  much  o'f  a  lure  for  musky  as  it  is  for  bass. 
The  white,  with  a  dash  of  red,  and  the  rainbow 
colors  seem  to  be  the  favorites  among  the  artificials 
while  the  sucker,  shiner  and  perch  show  up  well  as 
natural  baits.  Going  light  for  musky  in  the  way  of 
tackle  has  the  chair  and  the  usual  bass  casting  outfit, 
with  a  little  heavier  test  line,  makes  the  game  one 
of  real  sport.  The  ideal  day  for  the  big  fellows  is 
one  in  which  the  sun  has  been  backed  off  the  boards 
with  the  surface  of  the  water  doing  a  "  Salome." 
Any  of  the  open  months  look  pretty  good,  and  with 
the  right  kind  of  weather,  Old  Man,  you  ought  to  be 
able  to  connect  up  with  the  livest  bunch  of  wiggle 
that  has  ever  been  concentrated  into  a  single  fresh- 
water fish.  Here's  to  the  musky,  the  Villa  of  the 
weed-beds!  May  he  live  long  and  die  fighting  — 
and  when  he  does,  you'll  recall  many  a  time  the  chills 
that  raced  up  your  spine  when  he  first  broke  water 
and  you  lamped  his  size  and  caught  the  gleam  of  his 
cruel  eye. 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF 

BEING  THE  SWAN  SONG  OF  SOME  BIG  FISH  TOLD  BY 
THEIR  CAPTORS 

There  is  probably  no  angle  of  the  game  that  will 
give  one  a  better  insight  into  the  habits  of  the  dif- 
ferent fish  in  their  effort  to  evade  the  landing  net 
or  gaff,  than  the  stories  of  how  these  fish  were  ac- 
tually landed.  As  fishing  editor  of  the  Chicago 
Herald,  and  especially  while  handling  the  game  fish- 
ing contests  held  by  that  newspaper,  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  reading  the  obituaries  of  some  of  the 
largest  fish  caught  with  rod  and  reel.  Without  a 
doubt,  much  can  be  learned  from  the  experience  of 
others  and  for  that  reason  I  have  selected  a  few  of 
these  stories  of  the  landing  of  large  and  small-mouth 
bass,  muskellunge,  pike  and  wall-eyed  pike,  which  I 
feel  sure  will  give  one  an  idea  of  what  to  expect 
from  the  game  fins. 

One  point  that  makes  these  stories  particularly 
interesting  is  the  fact  that  they  are  not  written  by 
what  might  be  termed  professional  fishermen,  but 
are  the  stories  of  the  ordinary  every-day  sportsman, 
who  fishes  when  he  gets  the  chance,  while  a  few  of 

176 


Fine  bass  waters  among  the  lily  pads  and  bog  brush  A  three  pounder 
was  hooked  alongside  of  the  log  in  the  lower  pocket,  and  two  were  taken 
on  three  casts  from 'the  pocket  between  the  two  clumps  of  bog  brush. 
The  bass  sure  like  to  feed  among  the  underwater  branches  and  roots  of 
the  bog  brush,  and  to  get  'em  you  have  to  place  the  plug  accurately  and 
.nto  the  edge  of  the  growth. 


Among  the  windfalls  and  logs  the  bass  are  right  at  home  and  they 
have  a  habit  of  lying  alongside  and  under  these  natural  retreats.  The 
leaning  pine  throws  a  fine  shadow  over  the  water  and  there  is  just  enough 
break  to  the  surface  to  make  ideal  casting.  The  bas^  must  be  quickly 
worked  out  to  deeper  water  or  he  is  sure  to  wrap  the  line  around  a 
windfall  and  make  a  getaway.  Two  bass  were  taken  out  of  this  cosy 
corner  and  one  lost  on  a  snag. 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  177 

them  are  by  keen  fellows  who  are  just  breaking  into 
the  game. 

FINDS   BIG   ONE    IN    QUARRY    HOLE 

Very  few  fishermen  have  the  honor  of  landing  a 
large-mouth  bass  that  has  accumulated  the  weight  of 
%y2  pounds.  When  bass  arrive  at  that  weight  they 
generally  are  so  wise  and  sagacious  that  they  die  of 
old  age.  To  match  wits  with  a  bass  of  this  size  was 
the  good  fortune  of  I.  C.  Fitts  of  Evanston,  Illinois, 
and  the  battle  took  place  in  the  cool,  clear  waters 
of  an  abandoned  quarry  hole,  the  last  place  some 
of  the  boys  would  expect  to  find  a  real  man's-sized 
bass.  I.  C.  passes  out  the  thrills  as  follows: 

'  There  are  acres  of  old  abandoned  quarries  about 
a  mile  southeast  of  Joliet  that  have  filled  with  cold, 
clear  water  from  neighboring  brooks  and  springs. 
These  holes  are  of  all  shapes  and  sizes  and  deep  or 
shallow  as  the  huge  machinery  has  dug  them.  The 
sides  are  piled  high  with  rubble  or  stone  unfit  for 
use,  but  these  banks  are  covered  with  a  generous 
growth  of  willows,  keeping  the  pools  from  getting 
too  hot,  even  in  the  hottest  sun. 

"  The  one  our  old  '  Warrior '  picked  for  his 
stamping  ground  is  locally  known  as  Clear  Lake 
quarry,  and  lives  up  to  its  name  in  every  respect, 
being  a  clear,  blue  pond  with  high  banks  and  perhaps 
ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  water  in  the  deepest  hole. 
That  nice  bass  were  in  this  hole  could  be  told  any 


178       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

evening  by  seeing  them  jump  for  flies  or  coming  up 
into  sight  during  the  day  to  bask  in  the  sun.  The 
next  problem  was  a  bait  they  would  take.  Grass- 
hoppers swarmed  about  the  adjoining  banks  and 
minnows  were  so  thick  that  the  bass  would  turn  tail 
and  leave  their  customary  food  as  though  insulted 
if  offered  one. 

STRIKES   ON   NO.    8    SPOON 

"  September  i,  if  you  remember,  was  a  rainy, 
nasty,  no-account  day,  that  brought  on  the  tired  feel- 
ing people  so  often  complain  of  in  the  spring,  and, 
being  no  exception  to  the  rule,  I  strung  up  the  old 
casting  outfit  of  musky  fame  in  Wisconsin  waters 
in  preparation  of  a  little  try  for  some  fish. 

"  Having  arrived  at  the  quarries  with  grass- 
hoppers and  plenty  of  artificial  bait  I  started  out 
with  a  fine  hopper  and  fished  as  though  my  life  de- 
pended on  it  with  no  sign  of  any  results.  They  were 
full  of  them.  A  change  of  bait  is  the  only  remedy 
a  fisherman  has  to  rely  on  if  they  won't  bite  and  I 
had  just  finished  putting  on  a  No.  8  South  Bend 
Bucktail  Spoon  when  the  '  Old  Boy '  expressed  his 
high  state  of  feeling  by  breaking  water  two  or  three 
times  in  rapid  succession.  Needless  to  say  I  was 
with  him  right  off  and  skittered  the  spoon  from  a 
slanting  rock  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  pool. 

"  You  could  accuse  anybody  of  meddling  with  the 
truth  if  he  tried  to  tell  you  how  fast  that  fish  got 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  179 

over  there  but  he  almost  broke  himself  in  two,  con- 
necting up  with  the  bait  and  right  there  my  heart 
sank;  he  missed  it.  I" did  not  say  much,  mainly,  be- 
cause there  was  no  one  around  to  say  it  to  but  they 
would  hang  me  for  writing  what  I  thought.  All  this 
cloud  passed  over  directly  the  next  cast  had  nicely 
settled  and  he  hit  again  in  dead  earnest. 

"  Things  began  to  happen  fast,  and  for  the  next 
few  minutes  he  was  the  most  disagreeable  bass  I 
ever  had  anything  to  do  with.  He  cut  fancy  circles 
around  the  pond  for  fully  ten  minutes  without  re- 
sults and  then  headed  for  a  bunch  of  old  timbers 
over  in  the  far  corner.  The  tackle  twisted  around 
as  though  it  had  hooked  into  an  express  train  and  I 
sure  would  have  been  minus  a  fish  if  he  had  not  sud- 
denly changed  his  mind  and  come  straight  in  toward 
me.  For  the  first  time,  I  gained  line  on  him  a  little 
and  he  sulked  the  rest  of  the  way  in  to  within  six 
or  eight  feet  of  shore.  About  that  time  I  got  over 
the  excitement  well  enough  to  wade  out  and  bring 
home  the  bacon.  Sweet  odors  from  the  spider  that 
evening  told  plainly  what  had  happened  down  at 
the  quarries  the  day  about  10  o'clock  and  in  mem- 
ory of  the  event  there  is  a  nice  head  mounted  in  my 


room." 


FOUR   A.    M.    AND   A    SIX-POUNDER 

At  the  tail  end  of  July,  while  the  mercury  was 
hitting  the  high  spots,  George  Berghammer  of  Mil- 


i8o      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

waukee,  Wisconsin,  landed  a  six-pound,  large-mouth 
bass  while  fishing  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at 
which  time  the  fish  are  usually  on  the  feed,  the  heat 
later  in  the  day  driving  them  to  the  deep  holes  from 
which  they  are  particularly  hard  to  coax  with  any 
kind  of  bait  or  lure.  Here  are  a  few  words  from 
George  on  his  bass: 

"  I  landed  this  bass  in  the  Wolf  River  at  Fre- 
mont, Wisconsin.  It  is  the  largest  bass  I  ever  have 
caught  and  it  sure  made  some  fight  before  I  netted 
it.  The  bass  from  the  Wolf  River  are  scrappers 
and  this  one  was  no  exception.  He  took  the  frog, 
hook  and  all,  and  after  playing  with  it  for  a  while 
headed  for  the  weeds.  Then  he  found  out  he  was 
hooked  and  turned  on  the  line,  got  a  little  slack  and 
hopped  out  of  the  water  clear  into  the  air  for  a  shake 
that  certainly  showed  his  strength.  I  made  the  reel 
sing  and  jerked  him  '  off  his  feet '  before  he  loosened 
the  hook.  I  played  him  for  about  thirty-five  minutes 
and  it  was  some  sport.  He  made  other  breaks  out 
of  the  water,  but  none  like  the  first." 

Many  fellows  might  overlook  one  lone  rush  stick- 
ing up  out  of  the  water  as  the  lounging  place  of  a 
six-and-a-half-pound,  large-mouth  bass,  but  not  so 
C.  E.  Peterson  of  Chicago,  who  cast  his  lure  along- 
side of  a  solitary  old  rush  and  was  rewarded  with 
an  exciting  few  minutes  before  he  landed  his  prize, 
and  the  following  story  shows  that  it  pays  to  keep 
the  eyes  open : 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  181 

JIM   DANDY    FOR    HOT   WEATHER 

;<  Who  said  that  the  bass  would  not  bite  in  July? 
It  was  the  morning  of  July  7  when  I  looked  from  my 
window  on  to  Long  Lake,  a  small  quiet  lake  in  Wis- 
consin. Quiet  because  it  was  low  and  surrounded 
by  wooded  banks  which  keep  the  wind  from  disturb- 
ing its  mirror-like  surface.  The  water  was  reflect- 
ing the  hot  sun  heat  waves,  but  it  was  not  too  hot 
for  me,  as  I  knew  it  was  the  day  I  would  make  good. 
It  was  a  shame  to  push  the  boat  into  the  water  to 
disturb  its  quietude,  but  it  was  fish  I  was  after,  not 
scenery.  The  once-over  of  the  tackle  and  I  was  on 
my  way  casting  here  and  there  looking  for  likely 
spots  where  I  thought  Mr.  Bass  would  be  lurking. 
Giving  my  boat  a  push  I  saw  a  lonely  rush  protrud- 
ing a  few  inches  above  the  surface.  I  had  a  hunch 
that  Mr.  Bass  was  fanning  himself  with  his  nose  up 
against  this  rush.  Dropping  my  Jim  Dandy  bait 
alongside,  the  rush  moved,  the  water  opened,'  and 
Mr.  Bass  was  hooked.  Up  in  the  air  he  went  shak- 
ing himself  to  break  loose  and  I  shaking  myself  to- 
gether for  the  one  play  of  my  life.  Down  he  goes 
to  the  bottom,  then  for  a  long  run;  then  up  in  the 
air  again.  The  combination  of  tackle  and  muscle 
was  too  much  for  him,  and  alongside  he  came.  A 
quick  movement  of  the  hand  and  he  was  mine. 
There  he  lay  quivering  from  exhaustion  and  I  shak- 
ing from  excitement.  A  whopping  big  bass  was  all 
my  own." 


182      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

From  a  fine  weed-bed,  the  natural  feeding  grounds 
of  the  large-mouth  bass,  Joseph  T.  Galliker  of 
Chicago  coaxed  a  six-pound  six-ounce  big  fellow 
during  the  tail  end  of  September.  This  bass  was 
caught  in  a  lake  that  has  been  fished  for  years  and 
is  considered  very  "  civilized  "  waters: 

CAST   INTO   WEED   POCKETS 

"  I  was  right  in  the  center  of  a  fine  weed-bed, 
shooting  the  Bass-areno  plug  into  the  pockets  and 
openings.  I  had  just  made  a  fairly  long  cast  into 
a  pocket  and  was  beginning  to  reel  in  when  this  old 
"  he-wop  "  hit  the  bait  like  a  dick  walloping  a  second- 
story  artist  As  soon  as  I  struck  him  he  beat  it  for 
his  home  weed-bed,  and  it  took  some  thumb  pressure 
to  hold  him  as  he  started  away  as  though  he  had  a 
date  at  the  far  end  of  the  lake.  He  then  settled  on 
the  bottom  and  sulked,  tugging  away  like  a  bull  pup. 
I  gave  him  the  butt,  a  bit,  and  he  made  a  run  for  the 
surface,  breaking  water  in  a  wonderful  jump.  Fail- 
ing to  shake  the  plug  lose,  he  made  a  swing  around 
a  bunch  of  weeds  and  then  headed  for  the  boat.  I 
had  to  speed  up  some  to  get  in  the  slack  before  he 
broke  water  again.  It  was  sure  a  beautiful  fight  in 
among  the  weeds,  but  eighteen  minutes  of  it  was 
enough  for  the  Old  Timer,  and,  as  I  brought  him  up 
to  the  boat,  his  final  flops  were  the  last  efforts  of  a 
worn  out  warrior." 

During  a  snow  storm  late  in  September,  Albert 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  183 

Jay  Cook  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  tried  his  luck 
at  McNaughton,  Wisconsin,  and  from  the  cold 
waters  of  Black  Lake  landed  a  five-pound  fifteen- 
ounce,  small-mouth  bass.  To  land  a  small-mouth  of 
this  size  is  a  mighty  pleasant  task  and  little  does  the 
true  fisherman  care  whether  it  is  snowing,  raining, 
blowing  or  what  not,  if  he  can  match  his  angling  skill 
with  the  keen  trickery  of  a  grown-up  small-mouth. 
Here  is  the  yarn  A.  J.  spins  about  his  polar-bear 
bass: 

COLD   WEATHER    BASS    SHOWS    SPEED 

"Swish!  Out  of  the  weed-bed  he  whip-lashed 
like  a  cupro-nosed  perforator  from  an  automatic  25. 
Then  Zing!  I  thought  for  a  moment  that  I  had 
been  transferred  in  some  unbelievable  manner  to  the 
Baltic  Sea  and  had  struck  a  submarine  torpedo  en- 
dowed with  life. 

"  To  begin  at  the  beginning.  It  had  been  a  bad 
two  weeks.  The  underwater  plants,  late  for  the 
season,  were  in  full  bloom.  Rain  all  the  time  and 
the  last  three  days  freezing,  with  three  snowstorms 
on  the  side.  A  few  casts  from  the  boat,  with  the 
icy,  spray-coated  wind  swirling  over  the  choppy  lake, 
and  then  a  return  cabinward,  with  frosted  toes, 
fingers  and  language  and  the  casting  thumb  almost 
rubbed  to  the  bone. 

"  The  evening  before  the  last  day  of  our  stay  I 
had  picked  up  a  curious,  sharklike  artificial  minnow. 


1 84      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

It  interested  me,  this  Pflueger-surprise  minnow,  as  I 
twirled  it  back  and  forth  in  the  shadows  of  the 
flickering  cabin  light,  I  must  have  a  try  with  it,  I 
decided. 

"  So  on  this,  the  afternoon  of  the  last  day,  I  and 
my  brother,  Byron  V.,  who  had  captured  several  nice 
specimens  of  the  genus  bass  and  had  been  express- 
ing extreme  pity  on  me  in  a  sarcastic  way,  pushed 
off  from  the  wharf.  We  tore  across  the  lake  to  a 
juicy  bay,  from  which  we  had  harvested  several  beau- 
ties a  few  days  before.  I  sat  in  the  stern  idly 
casting  my  minnow  toward  the  weed-beds,  until  my 
hands  and  disposition  felt  like  plank  slabs. 

"  As  brothers  in  a  boat  sometimes  do,  we  were 
placing  cutting  remarks  where  they  would  fit;  my  re- 
marks anent  his  rowing  were  extremely  polite,  but 
if  I  do  say  it  myself,  they  cut  deeper  than  the  snowy 
gale  that  was  blowing.  He  complimented  me  beau- 
tifully on  my  angling  ability,  with  a  hoarse  sardonic 
laugh  which  tingled  into  me  like  a  harpoon.  I  was 
slowly  reeling  in  my  line,  indulging  in  repartee,  when 
it  happened.  It  struck ! 

TWENTY   MINUTES   OF   RUSHING   BATTLE 

"  It  is  strange  how  soon  temperatures  change  in 
northern  Wisconsin.  One  minute  it  is  below  freez- 
ing and  then  it  jumps  to  summer  heat;  and  believe 
me,  when  that  old  fish  began  to  patter  through  his 
bagful  of  tricks  the  mercury  spurted  from  the  top  of 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  185 

the  thermometer  like  Old  Faithful  geyser.  He  took 
the  line  as  though  he  had  an  afternoon  tea  date  at 
the  North  Pole;  then  he  came  back  strong,  broke 
water  and  decided  to  dine  with  the  penguins  around 
Punta  Arenas  before  6  P.  M.  However,  with  the 
aid  of  my  own  will  power  and  some  pressure  brought 
to  bear  in  high  political  places,  the  old  u  he-wop  " 
decided  to  travel  toward  the  center  of  the  lake,  away 
from  the  windfalls  and  weeds. 

"  For  twenty  minutes  the  bass  rehearsed  every- 
thing he  had  learned  in  his  own  lifetime  and  the 
things  he  had  learned  from  his  father  and  mother 
before  him.  He  cut  under  the  boat  and  broke  water 
twenty  feet  on  the  other  side.  He  slipped  to  the 
bottom  to  rub  the  curious  little  minnow  with  the  sting 
from  his  mouth.  He  backed  away,  doubled  on  his 
tracks  like  a  red  fox,  flopped  a  foot  out  of  water  into 
the  snow-swirl;  and  finally,  after  one  of  the  gamest 
fights  I  have  ever  had  or  seen,  gave  up  the  battle 
and  died  like  a  true  hero  fighting  to  the  death. 
Softly  I  reeled  him  in,  and,  as  we  had  no  landing 
net,  my  brother  reached  into  the  water  and  lifted  him 
out.  For  a  moment  we  looked  at  him  quivering 
at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  instinctively  we  raised 
our  hats  to  one  of  the  gamest  fish  in  the  world." 

ARTIFICIAL   WINS    OVER    LIVE   BAIT 

Gerald  C.  Burd  of  Brooklyn  while  fishing  in  Lake 
Court  O'rielles,  Wisconsin,  on  a  hot  July  day  landed 


i86      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

a  fine  5-pound  2-ounce,  small-mouth  bass  that  gave 
an  interesting  account  of  itself.  Following  the  usual 
dope  Gerald  first  tried  the  game  with  live  bait,  but 
not  being  successful  he  switched  to  a  Heddon's 
Dowagiac  and  on  the  third  cast  the  big  one  struck  — 
but  here  is  the  way  Gerald  tells  it: 

'*  We  had  pulled  across  from  our  shack  on  the 
east  shore  of  the  lake  and  anchored  in  a  small 
sheltered  inlet.  For  a  time  I  tried  still  fishing  with 
live  minnows,  but  with  indifferent  success,  then 
changed  tackle  and  began  to  cast.  Twice  I  reeled 
in  without  result,  and  then  a  third  time  the  bait 
arched  through  the  air  and  struck  the  water  with  a 
splash.  It  was  instantly  followed  by  another  splash 
which  told  me  that  there  was  a  fine  scrap  ahead,  for 
the  instant  I  set  the  hook  the  big  fellow  broke  water, 
standing  on  his  tail  and  shaking  his  massive  body 
until  the  hooks  fairly  rang  against  each  other. 

"  There  was  a  long  rush,  followed  by  a  still  longer 
sulking  spell  from  which  I  almost  despaired  of  bring- 
ing him,  but  finally  the  strain  ceased  and  he  carne 
very  nicely  to  the  boat.  Then  I  made  the  mistake 
of  attempting  to  net  him  too  soon  and  the  fight  was 
renewed  with  vigor. 

"  After  seven  or  eight  minutes  which  were  full  of 
thrills,  he  again  came  to  the  boat  only  to  make  a  dive 
under  it.  I  lowered  the  tip  of  my  rod  and  let  him 
go  though,  as  I  was  afraid  he  was  fast  loosening  the 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  187 

hook.  But  after  a  final  leap  and  a  rush  he  came  in, 
golden  side  up  in  token  of  submission,  and  was  easily 
netted." 

SPOON   INTERESTS   THIS   MUSKY 

The  muskellunge  is  as  tricky  a  fish  as  you  will  find 
among  the  entire  finny  tribe  and  he  isn't  a  bit  bashful 
when  it  comes  to  taking  advantage  of  the  slightest 
opportunity  to  display  his  skill  at  parting  company 
with  the  hook.  For  main  strength  he  has  no  equal 
among  the  fresh-water  fish,  and  with  light  tackle  it 
takes  keen  work  to  land  him.  Judge  H.  T.  Ames 
of  Minocqua,  Wisconsin,  writes  the  following  facts 
about  the  landing  of  a  thirty-two  pounder  at  which 
he  officiated: 

"  We  had  tried  them  out  on  the  live  minnows  and 
frogs  without  even  a  swirl.  It  was  some  hot  the 
afternoon  of  July  25  on  Lake  Mandaline,  Minocqua, 
Wisconsin,  where  I  landed  this  old  fellow,  and  we 
did  not  blame  the  fish  for  lying  low.  We  were 
making  about  two  knots  an  hour,  our  spoons  out 
about  fifty  feet,  spinning  in  a  nervous,  flopping  way 
caused  by  the  irregular  movement  of  the  boat  with 
its  makeshift  oarlocks. 

"  The  musky  struck  with  a  vicious  dart,  his  dorsal 
fin  cutting  the  water  like  that  of  a  man-eater.  I 
brought  him  to  a  right-about  with  a  jerk  of  the  rod 
and  the  main  show  opened  up  with  a  fine  break  from 


i88       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

the  water.  Just  then  I  changed  seats  with  my  part- 
ner and  the  old  rascal  took  advantage  of  me  and 
made  a  run  with  about  fifty  feet  more  of  line,  and 
then  straight  down  to  the  bottom,  which  is  a  mass  of 
weeds  in  Lake  Mandaline.  He  rooted  down  under 
what  seemed  to  be  a  ton  of  weeds  as  I  cleared  them 
off  the  line  and  worked  him  into  the  open  water.  I 
had  him  within  fifteen  yards  of  the  boat  when  he 
made  a  leap  of  at  least  six  feet  up  into  the  air  and 
shook  himself  like  an  angry  bull-pup,  making  the 
No.  7  Skinner  spoon  rattle  like  a  telephone  bell  as  it 
pounded  a  tattoo  on  his  teeth. 

"  As  I  took  in  the  slack  he  made  jump  after  jump 
out  of  the  water  and  he  darted  and  plunged  in  all 
kinds  of  figures  trying  to  snag  the  line.  It  was  a 
furious  fight  for  nearly  an  hour  before  I  could  bring 
him  to  gaff.  My  pard  made  an  honest  effort  to  gaff 
the  big  fellow,  but  only  succeeded  in  scraping  his 
side,  which  livened  him  up  for  a  spurt  that  tore  fifty 
feet  of  line  off  my  reel.  I  worked  him  alongside 
again  and  with  the  rod  in  the  left  hand  gave  him  the 
gaff  myself. 

"  With  one  last  effort  for  freedom  he  shook  with 
force  enough  to  break  the  gaff  hook,  but  he  dropped 
into  the  boat  and  I  closed  in  on  him  for  a  little  per- 
sonal embrace.  I  caught  this  musky  with  a  No.  7 
Skinner  spoon  hook,  a  silk  musky  line  and  an  old 
Bristol  rod,  that  is  really  a  veteran,  and  a  much  older 
and  very  dilapidated  tournament  casting  reel." 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  189 

HATS    OFF,    MUSKY   ON    FLY   ROD 

To  land  a  musky  on  fly  tackle,  the  most  delicate 
of  fishing  equipment,  is  a  job  that  probably  only  the 
most  seasoned  veteran  would  attempt.  One  slip  in 
judging  the  moves  of  the  musky  or  shooting  on  the 
thumb  pressure  at  the  wrong  moment  would  mean 
a  smashed  rod.  For  an  all-round  thriller,  V. 
Deane  Reese  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  certainly  staged  a 
five-reeler  when  he  hooked  a  fourteen-pound  musky 
and  played  him  for  fifty  minutes  before  he  could 
bring  him  to  gaff.  Here  is  the  story  of  this  battle 
of  light  tackle  vs.  musky  wile  as  told  by  the  winner : 

"  I  always  had  a  hankering  to  land  a  big  fish,  par- 
ticularly a  musky,  on  a  fly  rod,  but  never  anticipated 
one  quite  so  large  as  the  chap  I'm  writing  you  about. 
I  was  camping  on  No  Man's  Lake  with  my  fishing 
partner,  Dr.  Okey,  who  handled  the  paddle  during 
the  fight.  I  had  raised  one  musky,  which  probably 
weighed  eight  pounds,  but  evidently  had  not  set  the 
hook  deep  enough  in  his  mouth,  as  he  threw  it  the 
first  jump  out  of  the  water.  This  gave  me  the  tip 
to  set  it  deeper  next  time,  as  the  hook  was  very  small 
and  the  musky  has  a  tough  mouth. 

'  We  paddled  over  to  a  shallow  bar  in  the  middle 
of  the  lake,  and  I  started  casting  with  a  No.  2-O 
Buck-tail  fly,  fastened  on  a  No.  i  Hildebrandt  spin- 
ner, which  was  as  large  a  lure  as  I  was  able  to  cast 
with  the  light  fly  rod.  This  big  fish  came  out  of  the 


LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

weeds  and  took  the  fly  just  like  a  trout.  I  set  the 
hook  as  firmly  as  I  could  and  told  the  doctor  to  row 
out  into  the  deep. 

MAKES   A   THREE    FOOT   BREAK 

1  The  musky  leaped  out  of  the  water  at  least  three 
feet  and  the  fight  was  on.  He  continued  to  break 
water  from  time  to  time  as  I  worked  him  in.  To- 
ward the  end,  however,  his  efforts  to  rise  from  the 
water  were  mighty  weak  and  he  hardly  raised  his 
nose  above  the  surface.  He  made  two  runs  for  the 
boat,  and  orice  I  felt  sure  he  would  right  angle  my 
rod,  which  was  a  nine  and  a  half  footer,  and  snap  it 
before  we  could  get  the  boat  around. 

"  At  times  I  held  considerable  arch  to  the  rod, 
but  gave  him  the  tip  quite  a  lot  and  worked  the  rod 
with  the  musky  through  most  of  the  fight.  At  no 
time  did  I  feel  that  I  would  lose  him,  but  before  the 
fifty  minutes  were  over  I  was  about  as  tired  as  the 
musky. 

"  Early  in  the  fight  I  felt  a  little  shaky  on  the  line 
question  as  I  only  had  on  about  seventy-five  feet,  and 
when  he  started  on  his  runs  I  had  to  put  strong  pres- 
sure on  the  line  to  get  him  out  of  the  notion  of  going 
too  far.  My  right  thumb  soon  rubbed  to  the  quick 
and  I  finished  the  fight  with  my  left  hand,  in  fact,  it 
was  necessary  from  time  to  time  to  change  the  rod, 
as  my  arm  became  tired. 

"  Musky  fishing  with  a  six-ounce  fly  rod  may  not 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  191 

be  a  sport  indulged  in  by  many  of  the  boys,  but  for 
a  pack  of  tingling  thrills  and  moments  requiring 
quick  thought  give  me  a  musky  on  the  lightest  of 
tackle." 

RIVER    MUSKY    FULL   OF    PEP 

The  river  musky  seems  to  put  up  a  gamer  fight 
than  one  of  equal  size  caught  in  lake  waters.  Es- 
pecially is  this  so  when  the  river  waters  have  a  swift 
current.  Every  minute  of  his  life  the  river  musky 
has  to  fight  the  current  in  his  hunt  for  food,  and  this 
daily  battle  against  the  swift  waters  gives  him  a  won- 
derfully developed  set  of  fins  and  a  kick  in  his  tail 
that  compares  favorably  with  the  driving  power  of 
the  off  hind  leg  of  an  army  mule.  J.  C.  Knudtson 
of  Chippewa  Falls,  Wisconsin,  landed  a  35-pound 
musky  from  the  swirling  white  waters  below  the 
falls,  and  here  are  the  facts  about  the  thirty-minute 
nerve-tingling  scrap : 

"  All  good  things  come  my  way  on  or  about  the 
2Oth  of  the  month,  and  when  this  date  stole  around 
in  August  I  slipped  down  to  the  Chippewa  River  one 
morning  before  daylight,  armed  to  the  teeth  with 
tackle,  for  a  shot  at  the  famous  green  muskies  that 
feed  below  the  falls.  I  fished  from  shore,  casting 
my  Heddon's  Dowagiac  Wiggler  out  into  the  rapids 
and  reeling  it  in  across  a  mighty  promising  looking 
eddy.  After  a  few  unsuccessful  efforts,  which  I 
chalked  up  to  practice,  I  felt  a  mighty  lunge  that 


192       LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

stiffened  up  my  line  and  almost  doubled  my  Bristol 
No.  25  which,  by  the  way,  is  some  light  rod  for  a 
musky  battle.  Then  a  drive  straight  across  the  river 
that  cut  the  line  through  the  water  with  a  zip.  I 
let  him  take  about  seventy  feet,  then  put  on  the 
brakes,  when  up  out  of  the  water  he  came  with  a 
sudden  sharp  jump  that  nearly  caught  me  with  a 
slack,  and  he  did  a  shake  I  never  thought  a  musky 
had  in  his  body.  He  had  probably  been  hooked  be- 
fore, because  he  tried  every  trick  I  had  ever  heard 
a  musky  had  in  his  system,  from  the  corkscrew  twist 
to  the  double  jump,  but  he  was  hooked  right,  and  I 
held  him  down  under  a  stiff  line. 

"  Four  times  I  almost  had  him  to  gaff  against  his 
wishes,  but  each  time  he  gingered  up  and  made  an- 
other effort  to  break  away.  At  last  I  played  him 
out  and  brought  him  in  white  side  up  and  I  was  sure 
proud  as  I  slipped  my  fingers  under  his  gills  and 
lifted  him  ashore,  a  fine  specimen  of  the  gamest  of 
muskies,  the  famous  dark  green  musky  of  the  '  old 
Chippewa.'  ' 

LANDS    BIG    PIKE    ON   WEAK    LINE 

The  pike,  so  commonly  called  pickerel  by  many 
fishermen,  is  a  close  relation  to  the  musky  and  al- 
though he  doesn't  make  the  spectacular  fight  that 
his  husky  cousin  does,  he  can  give  a  good  account  of 
himself.  When  hooked  in  the  cooler  waters  in  the 
fall,  he  has  an  added  bunch  of  pep  that  places  him 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  193 

right  up  in  the  game  class.  Theodore  Nordholm  of 
Chicago  landed  a  23-pound  pike  early  in  October  on 
a  line  that  tested  out  at  eight  and  a  half  pounds  at 
the  break,  which  is  sure  some  fishing  and  stacks  up 
well  with  the  clever  work  of  the  cotton  thread 
anglers  of  Long  Island.  The  "  how  "  of  landing 
this  large  pike  is  modestly  told  by  Theodore : 

"  We  sure  struck  it  cold  for  our  fishing  trip  to 
Gillette  Lake,  at  Mountain,  Wisconsin.  It  was  a 
blustery  and  rainy  day  with  snow  flurries  and  my  pal 
and  I  were  loafing  around  the  cabin  trying  to  keep 
warm.  But  the  fishing  fever  had  us  and  we  decided 
to  take  a  flyer  around  the  lake. 

"  Striking  a  nice  bunch  of  lily  pads,  I  warmed  up 
with  a  few  casts  in  among  'em.  The  fourth  throw 
of  my  Jamison  Mascot  brought  a  strike  that  sure 
had  weight  behind  it,  but  I  only  held  him  a  few  sec- 
onds before  he  broke  away.  I  must  have  scared  him 
a  bit,  because  repeated  casts  failed  to  interest  him, 
so  we  went  around  the  lake. 

"  I  could  not  get  that  old  man  out  of  my  mind, 
however,  and  I  knew  he  was  a  big  one  from  the  pull 
he  handed  me  the  few  moments  I  had  him  hooked. 
I  insisted  on  giving  him  another  chance,  so  we  let 
the  boat  drift  in  to  the  spot  where  I  had  lost  him. 

STRIKES   \VITH    A    PUNCH 

"  I  made  a  cast  in  where  I  thought  he  ought 
to  be  and  sure  enough  he  landed  with  both  feet. 


194      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

I  struck  him  hard  and  set  the  hooks  to  stay.  This 
annoyed  him  some,  because  he  made  a  bee  line 
for  the  deep  water  on  a  straight  run  of  about  sixty 
feet  before  I  put  on  the  thumb.  He  passed  so  close 
to  the  boat  that  I  saw  his  size  and  knew  my  work 
was  cut  out  for  me  because  I  had  a  No.  5  Jamison 
line  with  which  I  had  been  casting  several  days  and 
no  gaff  or  gun  to  land  him  with. 

"  You  cannot  take  chances  with  a  line  that  has 
become  worn  with  steady  casting,  so  we  followed 
him  around  for  about  thirty  minutes,  giving  him  line 
when  he  wanted  it  and  taking  her  in  when  possible. 
I  was  unable  to  get  the  pike  close  enough  to  land 
him,  so  one  of  the  boys  at  the  camp  paddled  out  and 
as  I  brought  the  fish  to  the  surface  he  slipped  his 
hands  under  his  gills  and  lifted  him  into  the  canoe. 
The  fight  had  been  enough  for  him  at  that  and  he 
laid  there  without  much  pep. 

"  Here's  a  little  dope  for  the  wise  ones  who  take 
a  slap  at  the  pike.  If  you  get  them  from  a  cold 
spring-fed  lake,  they  put  up  a  game  fight  and  if  you 
want  some  good  sport  land  a  large  one  on  a  line  that 
tests  out  at  eight  and  one-half  pounds.  That  is  what 
my  line  tested  after  the  fight,  and  you  can  take  it 
straight,  this  old  bird  put  up  a  fight." 

THIS    PIKE   GETS   AWAY,    BUT 

The  fish  that  gets  away  is  always  the  largest,  but 
here  is  a  1 2-pound  pike  that  got  away  and,  after  an 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  195 

hour's  liberty,  the  line  was  located  and  the  old  pike 
successfully  landed.  Bill  Kuss  of  Chicago  who  lost 
and  found  this  rascal  tells  the  story  in  this  way : 

"  Early  in  July,  while  making  the  rounds  of  some 
of  our  smaller  lakes  just  northwest  of  Chicago,  I 
stopped  at  Wooster  Lake,  one  mile  directly  west  of 
Long  Lake  station. 

'  There  was  a  thick  layer  of  *  shredded  wheat ' 
moss  running  about  300  yards  from  the  shore  into 
the  lake,  and  just  outside  of  this  moss  the  water  was 
quite  deep,  about  thirty  feet.  As  there  was  no  wind 
I  had  no  trouble  in  finding  out  at  once  that  there 
was  a  slight  current,  and,  in  fact,  this  entire  end  of 
the  lake  was  moving. 

"  I  had  confidence  in  this  moving  water,  although 
it  was  terribly  muddy,  and  within  half  an  hour  I 
landed  three  fair  sized  bass  and  had  a  number  of 
'  strikes.'  Then  I  got  a  '  strike  '  that  for  a  moment 
took  my  breath  away.  I  set  my  hook  deep  into  that 
fellow  and  he  started  off  like  a  shot  straight  for  the 
moss  bank.  My  thirty-three  yards  of  No.  6  was 
nearly  all  out  when  he  struck  and  there  was  only  a 
little  left  to  hold  him  with,  but  it  didn't  seem  to  make 
any  difference,  for  there  was  no  holding  him  in,  as 
he  kept  on  going. 

LINE    SNAPS PIKE    HEADS   TO   WEEDS 

*  Yes,  the  line  snapped  at  the  reel.  There  being 
no  wind  and  the  water  as  smooth  as  glass  I  could 


196      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

plainly  see  the  *  V '  shaped  wake  heading  for  the 
rnoss  near  shore.  Strangely,  for  some  reason  I 
followed  this  wake  to  the  moss  and  here  found  a 
spot  where  I  could  see  the  water  *  bubbling  '  and,  at 
once  came  to  the  conclusion,  that  Mr.  Pike  must  be 
close  at  hand.  I  also  knew  Mr.  Pike  had  all  of  my 
line  dangling  behind  him,  and  as  I  was  determined 
to  recover  that  line  a  few  moments  of  careful  drag- 
ging located  it  and  soon  I  had  it  on  my  reel  again. 
It  seemed  to  me  about  an  hour's  careful  work  trying 
to  locate  my  fish  when  all  of  a  sudden  he  started  out 
again  and  I  am  still  figuring  how  he  ever  got  out 
of  that  bed  of  moss  without  breaking  my  line.  As 
soon  as  he  found  he  was  free  he  made  a  sudden  dart 
for  open  water  and  here  is  where  I  decided  to  end 
all  this  in  short  order,  for  out  in  deep  water  with 
plenty  of  line  to  play  him  and  an  abundance  of  re- 
newed confidence  it  was  merely  a  case  of  '  come  to 
daddy.' 

*  The  strangest  part  of  it  was  that  at  no  time 
during  our  game  of  '  hide  and  seek '  did  I  get  a 
glimpse  of  him,  not  until  I  was  ready  to  tickle  him 
behind  his  gills  with  my  hand  and  lift  him  into  the 
boat.  I  was  almost  certain  I  had  a  musky  all  the 
time,  but  I  really  felt  satisfied  when  I  found  he  was 
only  a  pike,  considering  how  I  hooked  him,  then  lost 
him,  again  recovered  him,  and  finally  '  brought  home 
the  bacon.'  "  Not  so  bad  for  Bill  to  land  him  after 
his  getaway. 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  197 

FISHES   DEEP   ON    HOT   DAY 

The  pike,  like  the  bass,  hunts  the  cool  waters  dur- 
ing the  hot  weather,  and  you  have  to  send  your  bait 
to  him  to  create  enough  interest  to  excite  a  strike. 
Clarence  J.  Vogt  of  Chicago,  used  this  method  to 
tease  a  fifteen  and  three-quarter  pound  pike  to  hit 
the  bait  on  a  hot  July  day,  and  here  is  the  story : 

"  I  caught  this  husky  beggar  casting  off  Indian 
Point  in  Fox  Lake,  Illinois.  You  may  recall  that  it 
was  a  trifle  hot  last  Saturday,  being  92  in  the  shade, 
so  I  let  my  Stanley  fly  with  spinner,  baited  with  a 
nice  enticing  pork  strip,  go  down  fairly  deep  in  order 
to  get  to  the  fish,  which  were  hunting  the  cool  places 
in  the  deeper  water.  This  pike  sure  must  have  been 
hungry  or  sore,  because  he  struck  the  bait  like  a  ten- 
strike.  Not  having  a  gaff  or  landing  net,  I  played 
him  for  fifteen  minutes,  till  he  showed  white,  then  I 
brought  him  close  up  to  the  boat  and  slipped  my 
fingers  under  his  gills.  Did  I  land  him  then? 
Well,  I  guess  not;  he  livened  up  in  a  second  and 
started  another  five-minute  tussle  for  a  getaway, 
which  failed  to  make  good,  for  I  used  a  little  more 
speed  on  the  grab  when  I  had  him  to  the  boat  the 
second  time." 

Letting  the  bait  go  down  to  him  is  what  ended  the 
career  of  a  1 2-pound  pike.  Sidney  A.  Hand  of 
Chicago  just  sort  of  carelessly  let  his  bait  settle  a 
bit  and  the  answer  was  that  the  pike  had  a  chance 


i98      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

to  see  it  and  struck.  The  fish  are  generally  willing 
to  do  their  part,  if  the  fisherman  goes  half  way  and 
lets  'em  see  the  lure.  Here's  how  Sidney  explains 
it: 

"  I  was  throwing  a  small  perch  out  towards  the 
edge  of  a  fine  weedy  spot  in  Long  Lake,  trying  to 
entice  the  lazy  pike  up  out  of  the  deep.  I  got  sort 
of  careless  about  reeling  in,  after  failing  for  some 
time  to  get  a  strike,  and  had  let  my  bait  settle  through 
stopping  the  reel,  when  this  old  man  hit  that  perch 
bait  like  an  elephant. 

"  I  fought  him  to  the  limit,  but  he  made  the  weeds 
before  I  could  recover  my  wits  and  had  a  nice  run 
of  seventy-five  feet  of  line  down  among  them.  I 
followed  him  up  as  fast  as  I  could  and  it  was  some 
job  getting  to  him  through  the  mass  of  weeds,  but 
I  got  him,  which  was  my  object  in  going  fishing." 

THE   WALL-EYE    FOOLS    'EM 

The  wall-eyed  pike  is  by  nature  a  bottom  fish  and 
it  seems  they  take  keen  pleasure  in  staying  there. 
Even  when  about  to  be  landed  the  wall-eye  always 
makes  a  few  runs  down  to  the  bottom  after  being 
brought  up  alongside  of  the  boat.  Another  queer 
thing  about  this  old  boy  is  the  fact  that  a  strike  of 
a  large-sized  one  is  generally  taken  for  a  snag.  Of 
sixteen  wall-eye  weighing  from  nine  pounds  up  to 
fourteen  that  came  under  my  notice  one  season,  ten 
were  hooked  and  the  ten  fishermen  all  thought  they 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  199 

had  snagged  their  lines,  but,  of  course,  found  out 
very  promptly  that  they  had  another  guess.  Here 
is  the  record  of  a  1 2  J^ -pound  wall-eyed  pike  caught 
in  Black  Lake,  McNaughton,  Wisconsin,  by  Robert 
H.  Moulton,  of  Chicago: 

"  I  was  rowing  along  in  a  lazy  sort  of  way,  just 
about  moving,  my  thoughts  on  a  nice  fried  bass  with 
a  well-turned  flapjack  when  I  made  camp.  I  had  a 
line  out  trolling  along,  which  is  a  habit  I  have  of 
always  keeping  a  line  in  the  water  for  luck,  when 
the  reel  began  its  love  song.  I  had  visions  of  losing 
my  favorite  dowagiac,  a  Heddons  underwater  min- 
now, green  back  with  white  belly,  thinking  that  I  had 
snagged,  so  I  gave  the  line  a  good  jerk  to  loosen 
her  up. 

RECOGNIZES   THE    WALL-EYE'S    FIGHT 

'  That  old  jerk  sure  wised  me  up  to  the  fact  that 
I  had  a  whopper  on  the  off  end  of  the  line.  It 
didn't  take  long  to  figure  out  that  he  was  a  wall-eye 
because  he  started  off  with  a  series  of  jerks  and  tugs 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  bull  pup.  It  took 
me  about  eight  minutes  to  work  the  seventy  feet  of 
line  away  from  him  and  bring  him  to  the  side,  but 
not  for  the  gaff,  as  he  made  four  runs  to  the  bottom 
after  as  many  trips  to  the  boat  side,  and  each  reeling 
in  was  harder  than  the  preceding  one. 

"  It  was  one  continuous  bunch  of  short  pulls  inter- 
spersed with  straight  long  rushes  to  the  bottom,  and 


200      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

when  at  last  I  felt  safe  to  give  him  the  gaff  and 
raised  him  into  the  boat,  I  certainly  knew  I  had  as 
fine  a  wall-eyed  pike  as  a  fellow  ever  hopes  to  coax 
out  of  the  home  waters." 

The  wall-eyed  pike  is  not  a  showy  fighter  and 
doesn't  have  the  rapid  fire  action  of  the  basses  or 
the  is  no  mean  antagonist.  A 
fairly  large-sized  on?1l>«^stlong^^action  and  he  in- 
jects enough  tug  and  pull  into  his  tight  to  satisfy  any 
but  the  most  jaded  of  fishermen.  Even  so,  to  hook 
a  wall-eye  and  play  him  to  the  net  is  a  nice,  clean 
piece  of  sport.  You  have  to  handle  them  carefully 
and  not  try  to  bring  them  to  the  net  too  speedily  or 
you  will  lose  your  fish.  The  strike  of  the  large 
wall-eyed  pike  is  the  unexpected  of  the  fishing  game 
and  E.  C.  Myers  of  Chicago  lines  up  the  following 
as  the  final  efforts  of  a  1 1  %-pound  beauty  he  landed : 

MID-DAY   BEAUTY    FIGHTS   DEEP 

"On  August  1 7th,  when  I  landed  a  wall-eyed 
pike  that  weighed  11%  pounds,  I  was  fishing  for 
bass  on  Black  Lake,  McNaughton,  Wisconsin,  and 
was  alone  in  my  boat,  with  neither  gaff  nor  landing 
net. 

"  All  morning  I  had  been  having  little  luck  and 
few  bites.  It  was  after  lunch  time  when  I  decided 
to  quit  and  return  to  the  camp.  No  sooner  had  I 
put  away  my  rod  and  grasped  the  oars  than  I  no- 
ticed a  swirling  of  water  and  saw  a  sucker  about 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  201 

twelve  to  fourteen  inches  long  flopping  in  a  death 
struggle,  for  he  had  been  struck  by  a  big  fish.  I 
immediately  unlimbered  my  rod,  selecting  as  bait  a 
Hildebrandt  Double  Spinner  and  a  large  minnow. 
Then  I  pushed  back  against  the  wind  into  the  bay, 
so  as  to  float  down  the  current,  and  started  to  cast 
among  the  weeds  along  the  shore. 

A    HARD   DEEP    WATER    FIGHT 

"  Just  as  I  got  near  the  end  of  the  bay  and  was 
turning  the  boat,  I  got  a  heavy  strike.  I  immedi- 
ately set  the  hook  and  then  the  trouble  commenced. 
It  was  fully  ten  minutes  before  I  was  able  to  see  what 
I  had  on  my  hook.  He  fought  hard,  keeping  deep 
in  the  water  all  the  time,  and  as  the  boat  was  drift- 
ing out  into  deep  water,  and  having  no  one  to  handle 
the  boat,  I  took  my  time  about  landing  Mr.  Wall- 
Eye. 

"  Finally,  he  began  to  tire.  His  plunges  became 
less  and  less  vigorous,  and  I  was  able  each  time  to 
bring  him  closer  to  the  boat.  Without  gaff  or  land- 
ing net,  I  was  compelled  to  prolong  the  fight  until 
my  opponent  was  completely  exhausted.  When  at 
last  he  was  '  all  in/  I  brought  him  alongside  the 
boat,  slipped  my  right  hand  under  the  center  of  his 
body,  and,  with  the  leader  and  line  loose  in  my  left 
hand,  gently  lifted  the  big  beauty  into  the  boat. 
Then  I  sat  and  gazed  in  amazement,  entirely  for- 
getting my  hunger  and  wet  feet  in  contemplation  of 
my  eleven  and  one-quarter  pound  pike." 


202      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 
HOT   WEATHER   BEST    FOR   WALL-EYE 

July  and  August,  the  hot  weather  months,  are  the 
best  months  of  the  fishing  season  for  the  wall-eye 
and  the  big  majority  of  the  large  ones  have  been 
caught  at  this  time.  We  can  therefore  thank  his 
honor  for  being  on  the  feed  during  a  period  when 
the  other  game  fish  are  sluggish  and  mighty  par- 
ticular about  their  appetite.  And  it  seems  also  that 
he  is  at  his  best  during  the  midday  fishing,  while  the 
basses  and  musky  are  in  their  best  fettle  in  the  early 
morning  and  late  evening  hours  of  the  hot  weather. 
Emil  Faber  of  Chicago  landed  a  nine-pound  wall- 
eyed pike  on  July  5th  at  Potato  Lake,  Wisconsin, 
and  of  the  actions  of  this  hot-weather  rascal  he  has 
this  to  say: 

"  After  a  few  hours'  trolling  for  musky,  without 
much  success,  we  secured  a  supply  of  chub  and  shiner 
minnows  from  a  nearby  creek  and  started  casting. 
It  was  about  mid-day  and  a  real  July  day,  with  an 
outlook  for  a  slim  stringer.  On  my  first  cast,  a  toss 
of  about  90  feet  in  towards  shore,  straight  for  the 
mouth  of  the  small  creek,  I  had  let  my  bait  go  down 
and  on  reeling  in  my  hook,  thought  I  was  snagged. 
I  was  about  ready  to  begin  cussin'  my  luck  when 
the  supposed  log  on  which  I  thought  I  was  snagged 
became  very  much  alive,  and  I  set  the  hooks  for 
keeps. 


FROM  STRIKE  TO  GAFF  203 

FIGHTS    LONG   AND    STEADY 

"  By  the  time  my  fishing  partner  could  get  his  line 
in  and  assist  at  the  oars,  my  fish  was  making  the 
water  fairly  boil,  the  line  cutting  through  the  water 
as  he  made  a  run  with  it.  It  was  ten  minutes  before 
we  even  got  a  glimpse  of  him.  Three  times  I  tried 
to  bring  him  up  to  the  side  and  each  time  he  plunged 
down  again  into  the  deep  and  between  times  he  kept 
a  continual  series  of  jerks  und  pulls  that  made  the 
rod  spring  like  a  whip.  On  the  fourth  trip  up,  after 
twenty  minutes  of  careful  work,  I  succeeded  in  get- 
ting him  close  enough  to  put  the  landing  net  to  its 
proper  use. 

"  For  a  piece  of  nice  sport  a  large-sized  wall-eyed 
pike  is  good  fishing,  his  steady  pulling  and  tugging 
keeping  you  aware  of  the  fact  that  you  have  a  lively 
customer,  and  he  is  lively  up  to  the  last  minute, 
too." 


ONE  HUNDRED  QUESTIONS  AND 
ANSWERS 

As  fishing  editor  of  the  Chicago  Herald  and  the 
National  Sportsman  Magazine,  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  answering  many  thousand  questions  on 
fish,  fishing,  tackle  and  outing  equipment.  Also  my 
series  of  articles  on  fishing  running  under  the  head 
of  "  Rod  and  Reel,'*  in  over  forty  of  the  lead- 
ing metropolitan  daily  newspapers  of  the  East  and 
West  have  brought  many  queries  to  my  desk.  I 
have  selected  one  hundred  of  these  questions  which 
I  think  will  prove  interesting  to  the  reader.  All  of 
these  questions  have  been  answered  either  from  my 
own  actual  experiences  or  from  the  experiences  of 
other  fishermen,  and  I  feel  sure  that  many  little 
points  that  have  been  a  trifle  cloudy  can  be  cleared 
up  through  these  queries. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  best  spoon  to  use  for 
trolling  for  grass  pike?  —  Doc. 

ANSWER.  Try  a  No.  3  Tandem  Slim  Eli  or  a 
No.  6  Skinner  Spoon  with  single  hook  and  pork  rind. 
The  Sutton  Spoon  hook  made  in  Naples,  N.  Y.,  is 
a  fine  pike  lure.  On  bright  day  in  clear  water  use  a 

204 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  205 

copper  spoon,  cloudy  day  or  rough  water  use  a  brass 
or  nickel  spoon.  Keep  it  moving  and  use  a  Dipsey 
sinker  to  take  it  down  deep. 

QUESTION.  How  do  you  get  helgramite  for  bait, 
and  are  they  good  bait  for  bass?  —  K.  M.  D. 

ANSWER.  The  helgramite  is  a  fine  bait  for  bass. 
You  will  find  them  under  stones  in  streams.  Hold 
a  minnow  net  below  the  stone,  turn  the  stone  over, 
and  the  current  will  wash  the  helgramite  into  the 
net.  They  double  up  into  a  ball,  and  the  current 
carries  them  downstream  when  dislodged  from  the 
under  side  of  stones.  To  hook  them  start  the  hook 
under  the  hard  shell  near  the  head  and  out  the  other 
end. 

QUESTION.  What  kind  of  bait  do  you  recom- 
mend for  pickerel  in  August?  Is  there  a  trap  for 
catching  crawfish?  How  do  you  catch  crawfish  for 
bait?  — H.  H. 

ANSWER.  A  No.  3  spoon  with  a  minnow,  shiner 
or  pork  rind  makes  good  pickerel  bait.  I  know  of 
no  trap  for  catching  crawfish.  You  can  find  them 
around  rocky  shores  in  the  sand  and  under  stones. 
They  crawl  under  the  sand  and  raise  a  little  sand 
hump.  Dig  them  out;  you  can  get  them  in  an  old 
landing  net;  place  it  behind  them,  and  they'll  back 
in.  Try  the  outlet  of  a  lake  and  the  mud  bottoms 
close  to  shore. 


2o6      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

QUESTION.  What  is  a  good  lure  for  wall-eyed 
pike,  how  is  the  best  way  to  fish  for  them  and  the 
best  time  of  day?  — W.  A.  G. 

ANSWER.  Try  any  bass  lure,  plug  or  spoon,  also 
a  fair  sized  minnow  on  an  Archer  spinner  makes  a 
good  bait.  Troll  for  them,  letting  bait  down  close 
to  the  bottom,  troll  slowly.  Early  morning,  mid- 
day, and  late  afternoon. 

QUESTION.  Which  is  the  correct  way  to  use 
pork  rind  for  bass,  and  is  it  a  good  lure  ?  —  J.  J.  T. 

ANSWER.  Pork  rind  can  be  cut  in  long  slim 
strips,  V-shaped,  about  three  and  one-half  inches 
long,  also  in  wedge  shape  about  one  and  one-half 
inches  square,  three-fourths  inch  thick  at  one  side, 
tapered  to  about  one-half  inch.  Tie  a  piece  of  red 
yarn  around  the  large  ends,  use  it  on  most  any  hook, 
plain  or  spooned.  It  is  a  good  lure,  and  used  gen- 
erally. Very  good  early  in  the  season  and  at  the 
tail  end.  You  can  get  it  bottled  all  ready  for  use 
if  you  do  not  care  to  cut  it. 

QUESTION.  Will  you  please  tell  me  a  way  to 
keep  fishworms  or  angleworms?  —  C.  S.  P. 

ANSWER.  Fill  a  porous  crock  with  grass,  moss 
or  leaves.  Sprinkle  with  water  and  put  in  the 
worms.  Let  them  alone  for  a  day  or  so,  then  feed 
them  the  white  of  a  hard-boiled  egg,  or  a  spoonful 
of  cream.  This  will  liven  them  up  and  they  will 
have  a  clean,  pinkish  color  very  attractive  to  fish. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  207 

Don't  put  them  in  a  can  or  smother  them  in  dirt  or 
mud. 

QUESTION.     What  are  a  few  good  bass  flies?  — 

C.  L.  L. 

ANSWER.  Try  Royal  Coachman,  Silver  Doctor, 
Paramanchee  Belle,  Montreal,  Gray  Hackle,  Brown 
Hackle,  Reuben  Wood,  Queen  of  the  Waters, 
Professor,  Red  Ibis  and  Grizzly  King. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  best  time  for  bass  fish- 
ing on  streams  and  best  time  for  fly  casting  for  bass; 
also  does  fly  casting  for  bass  take  more  care  than 
bait  casting?  —  G.  L.  K. 

ANSWER.  Early  morning  best  on  smaller 
streams,  later  part  of  day  till  sundown  very  good. 
Cloudy  days,  midday  good,  especially  if  cool.  For 
fly  fishing  for  bass  early  morning  hours  and  an  hour 
before  dark  best  time;  if  full  moon,  even  later  gets 
the  big  ones.  More  caution  required  in  fly  fishing 
for  bass  than  trout. 

QUESTION.  What  kind  of  rod  would  you  suggest 
for  bass  fly  casting,  also  line  for  river  work?  — 

D.  M. 

ANSWER.  Split  bamboo  an  ounce  or  so  heavier 
than  rod  for  casting  for  trout  and  plenty  of  stiff 
backbone;  25  yards  of  waterproofed  enameled  silk 
line  level  or  tapered  size  E. 


208      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

QUESTION.  How  far  will  a  bass  carry  a  live  bait 
before  swallowing  it?  —  B.  G.  K. 

ANSWER.  There  is  no  set  rule  to  go  by ;  they  may 
take  the  bait  and  run  off  10  to  15  yards  and  again 
they  may  make  it  75  or  a  hundred.  Let  them  have 
the  line  after  they  strike;  then  all  you  do  is  wait  till 
they  stop  to  gorge  the  minnow  before  striking. 

QUESTION.  What  is  a  good  book  on  the  habits 
of  the  bass?  —  A. 

ANSWER.  "  Book  of  the  Black  Bass,"  by  James 
A.  Henshall  is  an  excellent  authority  on  the  bass. 

QUESTION.  What  minnows  make  good  bass 
bait?  — P.  D.  Q. 

ANSWER.  There  are  many  species  and  varieties 
of  minnows  used  as  bass  bait,  many  having  local 
names.  Among  the  best  are  chub,  shiner,  dace, 
silver  minnow,  gold  shiner,  darter  and  mud  minnow. 
Black  bass  seem  to  have  a  special  fancy  for  live  bait 
brought  from  other  than  their  home  waters. 

QUESTION.  Kindly  give  me  a  table  of  the  ap- 
proximate length  and  weight  of  bass?  —  H.  J.  B. 

ANSWER.  Following  is  table  for  weight  of  bass : 
9  inches,  i  pound;  10  inches,  i  pound  2  ounces;  n 
inches,  i  pound  6  ounces;  12  inches,  2  pounds;  14 
inches,  3  pounds;  15  inches,  4  pounds. 

QUESTION.  Last  season  I  caught  a  1 4-inch  black 
bass,  had  no  scales.  What  was  the  weight  ?  —  A.  V. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  209 

ANSWER.  According  to  schedule  this  bass  should 
have  weighed  three  pounds. 

QUESTION.  In  fly-casting  for  bass  what  shade  of 
fly  is  best  on  a  cloudy  day  and  also  on  bright  days? 
— C.  S.  P. 

ANSWER.  ( i )  Use  bright  and  light  colored  flies 
on  cloudy  days;  also  in  high  or  rough  water.  (2) 
On  bright  days  in  clear  or  low  water  use  a  smaller 
fly  of  subdued  or  dark  color.  By  all  means  try  out 
fly-casting  for  bass.  It's  great  —  early  season  best, 
next  comes  tail  end  of  season.  Try  river  casting 
any  time  during  season,  fine  sport. 

QUESTION.  Where  can  I  get  the  Keeling  Expert 
underwater  minnow  and  has  the  spoon  got  it  all  over 
the  other  baits  for  trolling  for  bass  and  pike?  — 
C.  O.  J. 

ANSWER.  Fred  C.  Keeling,  Rockford,  Illinois, 
makes  the  Keeling  Expert  and  it  is  a  fine  underwater 
lure  for  bass,  especially  in  the  hot  weather  when  they 
are  down  deep.  The  spoon  hook  used  tandem  in  the 
smaller  sizes,  say  two  or  three;  or  four  to  six  in  the 
larger  size  for  pike,  pickerel  and  musky  makes  a 
killer  and  can  be  used  with  plain  treble  hooks,  feath- 
ered treble,  flyed  hook,  pork  rind,  or  minnow  and 
it  is  a  bait  many  fellows  swear  by.  It  can  be  used 
to  advantage  most  any  time  for  trolling  and  the  small 
single  makes  a  good  casting  spoon  with  minnow, 
frog  or  pork  rind. 


2io      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

QUESTION.  Is  the  fall  fishing  for  bass  good?  — 
H.  B. 

ANSWER.  Fall  bass  fishing  is  generally  fine;  in 
fact,  you  will  find  no  better  time  than  during  what  is 
termed  Indian  summer.  The  bass  are  full  of  ginger 
and  fight  to  a  fare-you-well.  They  take  the  fly 
readily  at  that  time  and  the  artificial  plugs  come  into 
their  own  after  a  midsummer  layoff.  Both  stream 
and  lake  fishing  are  good. 

QUESTION.  What  are  some  of  the  names  applied 
to  the  large-mouth  bass? 

ANSWER.  Oswego  bass,  jumper,  mossback;  in 
the  South  he  is  called  trout,  in  North  Carolina,  chub ; 
in  Alabama,  mountain  trout;  and  a  pet  name  is 
bronze-backer. 

QUESTION.  I  have  heard  the  stone  cat  is  a  good 
bass  bait;  how  about  it?  —  W.  W. 

ANSWER.  Small  stone  cat  and  his  cousin,  known 
as  mad  toms,  make  fine  bait.  Found  in  shallow 
water  in  running  streams  of  lakes,  under  rocks  or 
logs.  Three  to  four  inches  makes  fine  bait. 

QUESTION.  In  "  Fly-Casting  for  Bass  "  you  say 
"  the  nearer  the  water  you  are  the  less  chance  the 
fish  have  of  seeing  you  ";  how  do  you  explain  this? 
—  J.  M.B. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  211 

ANSWER.  The  closer  an  object  is  to  the  water 
the  less  chance  a  fish  has  to  see  it,  particularly  if  the 
fish  be  30  or  40  feet  away,  as  in  wading.  One  can 
be  seen  more  easily  by  a  fish  if  elevated  above  the 
water,  as  on  a  bank  or  raised  shore.  Often  you  can 
see  the  bass  at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  but 
seldom  while  wading.  If  you  were  20  feet  above 
the  water  the  fish  for  a  radius  of  60  or  70  feet  could 
see  you.  Of  course  fish  close  up  could  see  you  at 
any  time,  but  you  seldom  land  those  on  the  fly. 

QUESTION.  Do  you  find  both  the  small-mouth 
and  large-mouth  bass  in  the  same  lakes?  —  F.  S. 

ANSWER.  Not  as  a  general  thing;  when  you  do, 
the  small-mouth  will  be  found  on  the  rocky  bars, 
near  the  spring  holes  at  the  outlet  or  inlet;  if  there 
is  a  little  current  there,  on  the  gravel  bars;  while  the 
large-mouth  prefers  the  weedy  bays,  the  lily  pads 
and  rushes  and  where  the  bottom  is  soft. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  best  method  of  retriev- 
ing the  fly  in  casting  for  bass?  —  F.  L. 

ANSWER.  Let  the  fly  float  a  bit  with  the  current, 
then  sink  a  little  and  retrieve  with  short,  jerky  mo- 
tion. I  like  to  give  it  a  few  little  pulls,  then  let  the 
fly  stop  a  couple  of  seconds,  when  it  sinks  a  little 
more  then  continue  the  jerking  pull.  It  is  well  to 
cast  over  the  same  waters  if  you  don't  get  a  strike 


212      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

the  first  time.  Two  or  three  casts  over  the  same 
waters  should  get  a  strike;  if  not,  swing  to  other 
waters. 

QUESTION.  Are  frogs  good  still-fishing  bait  for 
bass?  — G.  H. 

ANSWER.  Use  the  smaller  sized  frogs  for  still 
fishing,  and  keep  them  in  motion;  they  have  a  habit 
of  burying  themselves  in  the  mud  or  under  stones  on 
the  bottom;  also  crawl  out  on  a  windfall  and  watch 
you  hold  the  rod.  Hook  them  through  the  lips  or 
through  the  skin  of  the  back.  Minnows  make  a 
better  still-fishing  bait. 

QUESTION.  Is  the  grasshopper  a  bass  bait,  and 
how  do  you  fish  it  ?  —  Ken. 

ANSWER.  At  times  the  grasshopper  makes  a 
good  bait,  particularly  on  streams,  or  along  the 
shore  of  lakes.  I  use  it  entirely  as  a  surface  bait. 
With  a  fair  wind  blowing  the  hoppers  into  the 
water,  get  to  the  windward  side  of  the  water  and 
cast  your  bait  lightly  on  the  water  and  let  the  wind 
carry  it  on  the  surface.  The  roughening  of  the 
water  by  the  wind  adds  to  your  chances  of  attracting 
the  fish  without  being  seen.  Use  a  small  hook  and 
run  it  through  the  upper  part  of  the  body. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  difference  between  a 
bait-casting  reel  and  fly-casting  reel  ?  —  McQ. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  213 

ANSWER.  The  fly-casting  reel  is  single  action, 
the  spool  turning  each  time  with  the  handle,  while 
the  bait-casting  reel  is  quadruple-multiplying,  the 
spool  making  four  turns  to  one  of  the  handle.  This 
is  for  speed  in  casting  and  reeling  in  with  limited 
work  of  the  hands,  while  the  reel  for  the  fly-caster 
merely  is  a  storage  place  for  line. 

QUESTION.  What  do  you  think  of  the  Shake- 
speare Standard  Professional  reel  and  do  you  think 
the  level  winding  affair  on  the  level  winders  of  any 
value  ?  — T.  M.  B. 

ANSWER.  The  Standard  Professional  is  a  fine 
reel  and  a  low  priced  one;  it  will  stand  up  under 
hard  usage  and  last  a  long  time  if  given  a  little  care. 
The  level-winding  arrangement  on  the  Shakespeare 
reels  is  successful  and  quite  an  aid  to  the  reel  in  its 
work. 

QUESTION.  How  often  should  a  reel  be  oiled? 
—  M.  M.S. 

ANSWER.  Oil  your  reel  every  day  if  used  for 
bait  casting.  Don't  drown  it  with  oil,  a  drop  at  each 
bearing  is  plenty  and  all  surplus  oil  should  be  wiped 
off  as  it  collects  dust  and  sand. 

QUESTION.     What  do  you  think  of  the  Beetzel 
Reel;  is  it  half  as  good  as  claimed?  —  Hal.  J. 
ANSWER.     The  Beetzel  Reel  is  a  wonderful  tool. 


214      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

Besides  being  a  sure-enough  anti-backlasher  it  also 
is  a  level-winder  and  being  hand-made  is  a  reel  that 
will  last  a  lifetime  if  given  care.  It  sets  you  back 
$20,  but  your  reel  troubles  are  a  thing  of  the  past 
and  it  does  everything  but  "  clean  the  fish  for  the 
spider."  Seventy-three  orders  were  ahead  of  me 
when  I  got  mine  and  I  think  that  speaks  some  for  it. 

QUESTION.  Will  you  tell  me  about  Antiback- 
lash  reels?  Are  they  reliable  and  what  are  some 
good  ones? 

ANSWER.  The  Antiback-lash  reels  are  O.  K.  and 
for  the  fellow  who  cannot  give  much  time  to  prac- 
tice of  thumbing  the  ordinary  reel  are  a  life-saver. 
The  South  Bend  Antiback-lash  and  the  Pflueger- 
Redifor  Antiback-lash  are  both  good,  well  made 
reels.  They  are  very  good  for  night  and  moon- 
light casting  also. 

QUESTION.  What  are  good  salmon  flies?  And 
what  is  the  usual  length  of  a  salmon  rod?  —  D.  K. 

ANSWER.  Try  these:  Silver  Doctor,  Jock  Scott, 
Silver  Gray,  Durham  Ranger,  Dusty  Miller  and 
Black  Fairy.  Salmon  rods  are  generally  15  feet  in 
length,  are  built  with  double  hand  grips  as  both 
hands  are  used  in  casting. 

QUESTION.  What  are  a  couple  good  artificial 
plugs  for  river  bait  casting?  —  W.  H.  B. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  215 

ANSWER.  I  find  the  Coaxer,  Tango,  Jr.,  all 
white  with  red  top,  Heddon's  Baby  Crab  Wiggler, 
Wilson  Wobbler,  rainbow  color,  and  the  Bass- 
areno,  white  with  red  head,  very  good  river  baits. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  simplest  method  of 
tying  a  leader  to  the  eyed  fly.  I  am  starting  with 
the  eyed  flies  this  season?  —  B.  M. 

ANSWER.  Try  the  "  jam  knot."  To  attach  a  fly 
in  this  way,  pass  the  end  of  the  leader  through  the 
eye  of  the  hook  toward  the  bend  of  the  hook,  bend 
back  this  end  along  the  main  strand  of  the  leader 
and  tie  a  half  hitch  around  the  main  strand  without 
drawing  tight,  slip  the  half  hitch  loop  along  and 
down  the  leader  and  just  over  the  eye  of  the  hook, 
then  pull  tight. 

QUESTION.  How  shall  I  go  about  fishing  for 
Lake  Trout?  I  fish  a  lake  which  has  been  stocked 
for  seven  years  and  they  won't  rise  to  anything. — 
P.  G. 

ANSWER.  Go  down  after  them,  Old  Man,  go  way 
down.  Here  is  a  rig;  take  an  eight-ounce  sinker, 
cone-shaped,  and  tie  it  to  your  reel  line  with  a  piece 
of  old  line  about  three  feet  long.  Use  old  line  so 
it  will  break  if  snagged  on  the  bottom  and  you  lose 
only  the  sinker.  Then  take  three  pieces  of  good 
line  and  swivel  them  to  your  reel  line,  the  first  right 
above  the  sinker  line  connection  and  the  next  a  foot 


216      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

above  that  and  the  last  one  a  foot  higher.  Let  this 
down  till  you  make  bottom,  and  troll  very  slow,  first, 
of  course,  having  baited  with  a  nice  shiner  or  large 
minnow  on  each  hook  at  the  end  of  each  of  the  three 
pieces  of  line.  This  is  about  the  best  lake  trout  rig. 
If  you  wish  you  can  use  plaited  copper  wire  line 
which  sinks  better  than  ordinary  line  but  this  will 
probably  not  be  necessary  for  the  fish  in  your  lake. 

QUESTION.  Are  there  any  grayling  left,  and  if 
so,  where  are  they,  and  when  is  the  fishing  season? 
—  S.  K.  N. 

ANSWER.  About  the  only  grayling  fishing  is  in 
Montana  in  the  tributaries  of  the  Missouri  River 
above  the  great  falls;  in  the  Sheep  and  Tenderfoot 
tributaries  of  the  Smith  River  and  the  upper  end  of 
the  Madison  River  tributaries  at  the  head  of  Red 
Rock  Lake,  where  the  water  is  rapid  and  compara- 
tively smooth.  Also  in  Beaver  Creek.  Best  sea- 
son, September,  October  and  November. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  average-sized  hook  used 
on  a  trout  fly?  —  G.  H. 

ANSWER.  Flies  tied  to  a  No.  8  hook  are  average ; 
have  your  main  selection  on  this  sized  hook  with  a 
few  of  the  best  patterns  on  larger  and  smaller  ones 
for  unusual  conditions. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  approximate  weight  of 
brook  trout  as  to  length?  —  G.  G. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  217 

ANSWER.  Eight-inch  trout  weighs  4  ounces;  9- 
inch,  6  ounces;  lo-inch,  7  ounces;  n-inch,  9  ounces; 
12-inch,  i  pound;  1  5-inch,  pound  and  a  half;  1  8-inch, 
pounds. 


QUESTION.  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  can  get  a 
'  Whaling  Good  "  rod,  and  can  you  recommend  it 
for  bait  casting?  —  P.  L.  M. 

ANSWER.  The  Whaling  rods  are  made  by  G.  E. 
Whaling  &  Son  Co.,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  are 
hand  made  under  the  direct  supervision  of  Dad 
Whaling  who  has  been  making  rods  for  ages  and 
making  good  rods  at  that.  Each  rod  is  raised  a 
pet  and  has  more  care  than  you  could  imagine  would 
be  given  to  a  piece  of  wood  in  its  travels  through 
the  rod-making  game.  You  can  get  a  Whaling  rod 
for  either  bait-casting  or  fly-casting  and  it  will  be  a 
piece  of  tackle  you'll  never  part  with. 

QUESTION.  Have  you  ever  used  the  Foss  pork 
rind  minnow  and  what  is  it  good  for?  —  H.  G. 

ANSWER.  The  Foss  pork  rind  minnow  is  a  new 
bait  that  has  made  good  with  a  wallop.  It  has  a 
single  hook,  upright,  and  you  clamp  in  a  piece  of 
pork  rind,  the  spinner  on  front  and  the  peculiar  mo- 
tion of  the  bait  makes  a  mighty  luring  appearance 
to  a  hungry  bass,  or  in  fact  any  old  bass.  It  is  good 
for  bass,  pike,  musky,  pickerel,  and  with  a  couple  of 
split-shot  sinkers  makes  a  good  lure  for  wall-eyes. 


218      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

QUESTION.  Is  there  much  use  in  fishing  for  trout 
when  the  stream  is  in  a  rising  condition  from  spring 
thaws  and  the  water  muddy?  —  R.  E.  B. 

ANSWER.  No,  trout  are  sluggish  then,  show  little 
spirit.  As  water  clears  in  early  season  they  will 
take  bait.  This  is  the  most  successful  way  of  fishing 
for  them  at  this  time,  they  are  ground  feeding  and 
slow  to  rise  to  fly;  however,  try  a  Silver  Doctor,  or 
other  brilliantly  colored  fly. 

QUESTION.  Is  there  such  a  fish  as  the  "  tiger  " 
musky  ?  —  K.  H. 

ANSWER.  The  commonly  called  u  tiger  "  musky 
is  the  striped  species  of  the  unspotted  musky.  Al- 
though some  of  our  best  piscatorial  authorities  who 
are  acquainted  with  most  fish  by  their  Latin  names 
have  little  to  say  about  the  tiger.  Personally  I 
watched  a  27J^-pound  tiger  do  his  death  dance  this 
fall,  and  he  was  as  pretty  a  marked  fish  as  you  will 
find  in  a  few  days'  paddle.  He  was  a  short,  stocky 
rascal  of  a  silver  greenish  tint,  running  into  a  gray- 
ish white  underneath,  and  each  brownish  stripe  was 
a  perfect  mark.  There  sure  is  such  a  critter,  and  he 
fights  to  a  fare-you-well. 

QUESTION.  Have  you  ever  used  mice  for  bass 
bait,  and  are  they  good  for  bass?  —  A.  J.  S. 

ANSWER.  Never  used  one,  Old  Man;  heard  of 
lots  of  people  that  have  done  so,  but  I  never  had  the 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  219 

nerve  to  hook  a  mouse  on  as  a  bait.     They  have  been 
very  successful  as  a  lure  for  large  bass. 

QUESTION.  How  does  a  musky  strike  a  lure  and 
where  is  the  best  location  in  a  lake  or  stream  for 
them?  — D.  W. 

ANSWER.  Musky  strikes  from  side  and  with  an 
upward  swing,  often  breaking  water  at  the  strike. 
In  lakes  you  find  him  over  submerged  weed  beds  and 
rocky  gravel  bottoms  and  off  the  edges  of  weed  beds 
in  water  generally  from  5  up  to  15  feet.  In  streams 
near  bunches  of  weed  and  rushes,  windfalls,  logs, 
heaps  of  brush,  sloughs  alongside  of  rocks  and  off 
the  points. 

QUESTION.  Why  do  fish  turn  a  live  bait  around 
and  swallow  it  head  first?  —  T.  J.  S. 

ANSWER.  Never  really  found  out  the  real  rea- 
son, Old  Man,  but  presume  they  do  it  from  instinct 
in  order  to  save  themselves  from  the  sharp  spines 
on  some  of  the  other  fish.  By  swallowing  them 
head  first,  the  spines  in  the  dorsal  fin  close  down  and 
don't  prick  them  on  the  way  down. 

QUESTION.  Are  the  preserved  minnows  in  jars 
any  good  for  bait?  —  R.  H.  C. 

ANSWER.  The  preserved  minnows  make  a  good 
bait  for  casting;  they  hold  their  silvery  shine  very 
well  and  for  emergency  you  should  have  a  bottle 


220      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

along.  In  casting  very  few  minnows  live  over  three 
or  four  casts  of  the  average  bait-caster;  the  only 
thing  necessary  with  a  dead  minnow  is  to  keep  it  in 
motion.  I  have  found  preserved  minnows  good 
bait  for  wall-eyed  pike  as  well  as  bass  and  trout. 

QUESTION.  Off  and  on  I  take  short  canoe  trips 
during  the  summer  and  fall;  do  you  think  a  Comfort 
Sleeping  Pocket  has  any  advantages  over  the  ordi- 
nary sleeping  bags  for  trips  of  this  kind?  —  S.  O.  S. 

ANSWER.  No  doubt  you  refer  to  the  Comfort 
Sleeping  Pocket  made  by  the  Athol  Manufacturing 
Company,  Athol,  Massachusetts.  This  sleeping 
pocket  is  so  far  ahead  of  the  old  time  sleeping  bags 
that  there  is  absolutely  no  comparison.  The  air 
mattress  is  sure  a  joy-bed  and  it  makes  a  pile  of  rocks 
feel  like  eider-down.  It  opens  down  the  entire  side 
and  is  easily  aired,  at  the  same  time  it  does  not  sweat- 
up  when  in  use  which  is  often  the  case  with  old  style 
sleeping  bags.  With  this  sleeping  pocket  you  will 
need  no  tent  as  it  is  covered  with  balloon  silk  and  has 
a  flap  at  the  head  that  can  be  rigged  up  as  a  tent 
cover.  I  carry  a  Feather-weight  No.  2  which 
weighs  14  pounds  and  sleep  in  any  kind  of  weather 
just  as  comfy  as  in  my  four-poster.  For  down- 
right solid  comfort  and  a  handy  piece  of  out-door 
equipment,  place  your  bet  on  the  Comfort  Sleeping 
Pocket. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  221 

QUESTION.  How  about  the  Sportsman's  Compac 
Tent;  will  it  fill  the  bill  for  camp  and  trail  use?  — 
Vic.  C. 

ANSWER.  The  Sportsman's  Compac  Tent  is  sure 
a  little  wonder,  and  if  you  are  going  light  and  right 
it  is  certainly  a  fine  and  handy  tent.  You  can  erect 
it  in  a  minute  with  or  without  poles.  I  prefer  it 
without,  simply  throwing  a  light  rope  over  a  limb 
and  pulling  it  taut.  It  is  water,  bug  and  snakeproof 
and  has  screened  ventilators  in  both  ends  that  pre- 
vent mildew,  one  of  the  draw-backs  to  most  water- 
proof tents.  It  only  weighs  3^4  pounds  and  rolls 
up  into  a  snug  pacakge  that  can  be  packed  with  ease. 
It  sleeps  two,  and  for  the  canoe  trip  or  hike  it  is 
surely  a  light,  handy,  well-made  outer's  tent. 

QUESTION.  Can  I  use  a  spoon  hook  for  casting? 
—  D.  H. 

ANSWER.  Yes,  if  your  bait  is  not  heavy  enough 
to  give  you  a  fair  cast  put  on  a  small  dipsey  sinker. 
A  good  spoon  with  pork  rind  and  a  dipsey  for  weight 
make  a  fine  casting  bait. 

QUESTION.  How  is  the  Meisselbach  Automatic 
reel  for  casting  and  trolling?  How  is  the  Tango 
minnow  for  bass  and  pickerel,  and  what  other  min- 
nows have  you  had  luck  with?  —  C.  B. 

ANSWER.     The   Meisselbach  Automatic  is  very 


222      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

good  for  trolling  and  for  fly-casting,  but  is  not  made 
for  bait-casting;  you  need  a  quadruple-multiplying 
reel  for  this.  Meisselbach  Take-a-part  at  $5.50  is  a 
good  one.  The  Tango  Minnow  is  a  fine  lure;  try 
the  white  with  red  top,  all  red,  and  the  yellow  with 
mottled  green  back.  For  small-mouth  the  Tango, 
Jr.,  is  good.  Other  baits  I  find  successful  are  Jami- 
son Coaxer,  Wilson  Wobbler,  white  with  red  flutes; 
South  Bend  Bass-oreno,  white  with  red  head;  Hed- 
don's  Crab  Wiggler;  Jim  Dandy,  spotted  green; 
Pflueger-Surprise,  Perch  color.  But  keep  'em  mov- 
ing in  the  water. 

QUESTION,  (i)  Should  I  reel  my  bait  in  fast 
after  a  cast?  (2)  What  is  the  right  distance  for  an 
average  cast?  —  J.  K. 

ANSWER.  ( i )  Reel  in  slow  for  about  five  feet, 
then  fast.  The  faster  the  better  —  just  that  much 
sooner  do  you  get  another  cast  out,  and  when  fishing 
you  must  cast  as  often  as  possible.  (2)  Fifty  feet 
is  as  good  a  cast  as  you  will  want  to  make.  Trying 
to  throw  the  bait  to  center  field  merely  causes  back 
lashes,  which  mean  lost  time. 

QUESTION.  What  color  of  artificial  baits  is  best 
early  in  the  bass  season?  —  A.  J.  B. 

ANSWER.  I  have  had  the  best  luck  with  white 
body  and  red  heads,  also  all  red  and  all  white.  Try 
out  these,  then  all  green,  green  and  white,  and  rain- 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  223 

bow.     Bass  take  most  any  color  in  the  early  fishing; 
seem  to  strike  from  pure  cussedness. 

QUESTION.  Does  the  splash  of  an  artificial  bait 
scare  the  fish?  — W.  E. 

ANSWER.  No,  it  will  attract  the  fish  rather  than 
scare  it. 

QUESTION.  What  do  you  think  of  the  Senter- 
Brade  line  for  casting?  —  T.  F.  G. 

ANSWER.  No  doubt  you  refer  to  Senter-Brade 
Silk  casting  line  No.  018;  if  so,  this  is  a  fine  line  for 
bass  casting.  It  is  braided  around  an  independent 
core  and  works  very  well  on  the  reel. 

QUESTION.  Is  a  lo-pound  test  line  strong  enough 
for  muskies  ?  —  J.  C. 

ANSWER.  With  skill  in  handling  your  tackle  a 
lo-pound  line  is  strong  enough  for  muskies,  but  I 
suggest  that  you  use  a  16-  or  1 8-pound  test  bass  line, 
and  at  that  don't  try  to  force  the  fish  to  gaff  too  fast. 
That's  when  the  line  goes. 

QUESTION.  My  split-bamboo  rod  has  come  apart 
from  being  wet;  what  is  a  good  glue  to  use  and  how 
shall  I  go  about  regluing  it?  —  C.  W.  B. 

ANSWER.  A  good  glue  to  use  is  ordinary  Le- 
Page's,  or  better  still  take  the  white  flake  glue  used 
by  pattern-makers  and  heat  it  yourself.  Clean  the 
bamboo  strips  of  all  old  glue.  Use  a  piece  of  broken 


224      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

glass,  then  reglue  the  rod  tying  it  together  until  it 
dries.  Rewind  with  silk  as  you  wish  and  varnish, 
using  good  varnish  and  letting  it  dry  between  coats. 
Before  varnishing  you  will,  of  course,  scrape  the 
outer  side  of  the  rod. 

QUESTION.  What  is  a  good  cement  for  ferrules? 
—  D.  L. 

ANSWER.  Dodge's  cement  is  most  generally  used 
and  it  is  good  stuff. 

QUESTIO-N.  What  do  you  think  of  the  Heddon's 
rod  for  bait  casting?  —  W.  M. 

ANSWER.  The  Heddon's  rod  is  made  on  the 
long-tip,  short-butt  construction,  and  is  a  fine  fishing 
tool.  The  strain  is  not  on  the  ferrule  in  landing  a 
fish,  as  the  two-piece  make  with  the  short  butt  brings 
the  ferrule  well  below  the  center  of  the  rod,  where 
the  bend  comes,  and  that  is  where  the  break  would 
come.  It  is  far  preferable  to  the  three-piece  split 
bamboos.  You  can  get  them  from  $2  up  to  $15 
and  all  good  values. 

QUESTION.  How  can  I  take  a  "  set "  out  of  my 
fly  rod?— R.  J.  V. 

ANSWER.  If  the  warp  or  set  is  in  the  entire  rod, 
hang  it  up  by  the  tip  with  a  weight  attached  to  the 
butt.  If  the  set  is  only  in  one  joint  hang  it  up  with 
weight  on  the  end  of  the  warped  joint. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  225 

QUESTION.  Can  I  use  an  ordinary  No.  25  Bristol 
steel  rod  for  trolling,  and  will  it  damage  it  for.  cast- 
ing?—S.  N. 

ANSWER.  You  can  use  this  rod  for  trolling,  but 
I  suggest  that  you  get  a  steel  rod  shortener  for  20 
cents  and  take  no  chances  with  a  good  rod.  Slip 
out  the  first  joint,  put  the  shortener  in  the  grip,  the 
second  joint  in  the  shortener,  and  you  have  a  fine 
short  trolling  rod. 

QUESTION.  What  size  line  should  be  used  in  fly- 
casting  with  a  lo-foot  rod?  —  L.  M.  V. 

ANSWER.  For  a  lo-foot  rod  with  plenty  of  back- 
bone use  size  E;  for  rods  under  10  feet  and  light, 
use  size  F. 

QUESTION,  (i)  What  is  the  correct  length  of 
rod  for  use  in  bait  casting;  and  (2)  is  there  any  rule 
to  follow  as  to  length  of  rod  in  comparison  with  the 
height  of  the  user? 

ANSWER,  (i)  Length  of  rod  is  a  matter  of 
personal  preference.  I  use  a  five-foot  rod,  and  feel 
like  a  lost  brother  with  a  six-footer  —  better  make 
it  between  five  and  six  feet.  Whip  a  couple  different 
length  rods  over  your  shoulder  a  few  times  and  you 
will  find  the  one  best  suited  to  yourself  in  that  way. 
(2)  All  bunk;  get  a  rod  that  you  "  feel"  is  right, 
be  you  a  shorty  or  a  six-footer. 


226      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  correct  way  to  assemble 
a  rod?  —  F.  B.  L. 

ANSWER.  Work  toward  the  butt  in  assembling 
the  rod;  first  assemble  the  tip  and  first  joint,  the  butt 
joint  comes  last;  take  the  rod  apart  just  the  reverse. 
If  you  value  your  rod  don't  twist  the  ferrules  either 
in  assembling  or  disjointing  it. 

QUESTION.  I  have  difficulty  in  jointing  and  un- 
jointing  my  rod;  should  the  ferrules  be  filed  down? 
—  D.  K. 

ANSWER.  Try  a  little  oil  on  the  ferrules  before 
jointing;  if  they  still  stick  take  the  finest  emery  dust 
and  reduce  the  male  ferrule  by  rubbing  very  lightly. 
Be  very  careful  as  emery  dust  cuts  German  silver 
very  rapidly.  Be  sure  the  ferrules  need  reducing 
before  you  do  it. 

QUESTION.  ( i )  Can  I  get  a  fairly  good  fly-rod 
for  $15  to  $20;  and  (2)  what  is  the  average  length 
of  the  fly-rod  best  suited  for  general  use  ?  —  R.  M.  S. 

ANSWER.  You  can  get  a  very  good  rod  of  split 
bamboo  for  $15,  and  with  a  few  special  fixings  $20 
would  give  you  an  excellent  one ;  be  careful  in  select- 
ing the  rod.  When  you  get  in  the  expert  class  you 
can  go  higher.  (2)  Select  a  rod  between  nine  and 
ten  feet,  matter  of  personal  choice. 

QUESTION.     Outside   of  split-bamboo  what  are 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  227 

some  good  woods  for  one-piece  casting  rods?  —  A. 
G.  F. 

ANSWER.  Three  good  woods  are  lancewood, 
greenheart  and  bathabara.  Lancewood  is  preferred 
by  the  majority  that  wish  solid  wood  rods,  while 
bathabara  is  the  most  costly. 

QUESTION.  What  sized  line  should  I  use  with  a 
steel  fly  rod.  I  am  using  a  size  E  now?  —  J.  D. 

ANSWER.  For  steel  fly-casting  rod  I  suggest  that 
you  try  a  size  C  line  as  better  results  will  be  had  with 
the  heavier  line.  A  lot  of  difficulty  found  in  casting 
with  a  steel  fly  rod  is  caused  by  the  use  of  too  light  a 
line. 

QUESTION.  ( i )  What  is  the  test  strength  of  an 
enameled  line  size  E  and  size  F  also?  (2)  Tell 
me  the  best  method  of  drying  these  lines?  —  F.  M. 

ANSWER,  (i)  E  size  tests  28  pounds.  F  tests 
22  pounds.  (2)  Run  the  line  through  a  cloth  held 
in  the  hand;  this  is  sufficient  to  dry  enameled  lines; 
also  occasionally  dress  the  line  with  deer  fat,  it  will 
work  better  and  last  longer. 

QUESTION.  How  do  numbers  and  letters  com- 
pare as  regards  the  size  of  enameled  lines?  —  A. 
C.J. 

ANSWER.  No.  6  —  H,  No.  5  —  G,  No.  4  —  F, 
No.  3  —  E,  No.  2  —  D,  No.  i  —  C. 


228      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

QUESTION.  What  do  you  think  of  the  Water- 
man Porto  outboard  motor,  and  do  you  think  that 
they  scare  fish?  — Q.  T.  W. 

ANSWER.  The  Waterman  Porto  is  a  good  motor, 
can  be  run  at  very  low  trolling  speed,  and  slow 
enough  for  casting.  The  reversing  propeller  comes 
in  mighty  handy,  and  the  entire  motor  is  built  right. 
For  river  and  lake  it  is  sure  a  fine  tool.  Weighs  68 
pounds,  which  makes  it  easy  to  portage.  Govern- 
ment tests  of  motors  have  shown  that  fish  are  not 
frightened  by  motors.  Of  course  in  a  lake  turned 
over  to  pleasure  craft  fishing  falls  off,  but  the  out- 
board motor  used  right  will  make  your  fishing  more 
pleasant  and  you  cover  far  more  fishing  water. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  spinning 
of  the  Standard,  Slim  Eli  and  Idaho  Hildebrandt 
spinners?  —  C.  G.  S. 

ANSWER.  The  Slim  Eli  is  a  narrow  spinner  that 
spins  close  to  the  shank;  Standard  spins  medium 
close,  and  the  Idaho  spins  wide.  Standard  best  for 
ordinary  fishing,  Idaho  for  roily  waters,  Slim  Eli, 
clear  waters. 

QUESTION.  Do  you  think  the  Nighthawk  lumi- 
nous compass  is  a  compass  one  can  rely  on  in  the 
woods?  I  am  going  to  northern  Canada  and  want 
to  carry  the  right  thing  in  this  line.  —  P.  L.  F. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  229 

ANSWER.  A  Nighthawk  luminous  compass  is  a 
good  instrument  and  it  has  the  added  advantage  of 
being  readable  at  night,  which  is  some  useful  if  you 
are  toting  a  pack  and  gun.  By  all  means  get  the 
wrist  compass;  it's  always  where  you  can  see  it. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  best  way  to  tell  good 
from  bad  gut  for  leaders?  —  Hal  G. 

ANSWER.  Good  quality  gut  is  round,  hard  and 
smooth;  poorer  gut  is  flat  in  places  and  frays  easily. 
Look  out  for  flat  places;  often  this  can  only  be  dis- 
covered by  rolling  between  the  fingers.  A  flat  spot 
means  a  weak  leader.  For  hardness  of  the  leader, 
test  it  by  biting  on  it. 

QUESTION.  When  is  the  best  time  for  trolling 
and  where? 

ANSWER.  Best  trolling  time,  morning,  evening 
and  after  dark.  Troll  close  to  edge  of  rushes,  lily 
pads  and  weeds,  or  over  sunken  weed  formation,  over 
and  along  sand  bars  and  off  the  shelving  bottoms  be- 
tween shallow  and  deep  water,  or  where  light  and 
dark  waters  seem  to  meet. 

QUESTION.  What  kind  of  a  gun  would  you  sug- 
gest to  take  on  a  canoe  trip?  —  J.  T.  D. 

ANSWER.  Either  a  light-caliber  repeater  or  a 
Marbles  Game-getter.  I  carry  a  Game-getter  on 


230      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

river  and  general  fishing  trips;  it  is  small  and  com- 
pact and  has  a  barrel  for  .22-caliber  and  .44-caliber 
round  ball  or  shot.  This  gives  you  a  small  gun  good 
for  emergencies,  shot  good  for  birds  and  duck,  and 
.22  caliber  for  squirrels,  etc.  This  gun  is  built  for 
men  and  is  not  a  toy. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  best  way  to  carry  live 
frogs  for  bait  from  the  city  to  your  fishing  waters? 

—  w.  s. 

ANSWER.  Carry  the  frogs  in  a  small  bait  basket 
and  don't  put  any  wet  grass  or  moss  in  the  basket. 
Although  frogs  come  from  wet,  marshy  places,  they 
live  better  in  captivity  in  a  dry  place.  Frogs  live 
very  well  piled  five  or  six  on  top  of  each  other. 
After  reaching  fishing  waters,  wet  them  thoroughly 
two  or  three  times  a  day. 

QUESTION.  Can  you  give  me  a  formula  for 
coloring  leaders  a  mist  color?  —  J.  L.  P. 

ANSWER.  Take  one  dram  of  logwood  and  six 
grains  of  copperas,  boil  in  a  pint  of  water.  Soak 
the  leaders  in  this  solution  for  five  minutes  or  until 
the  tint  your  desire  is  secured. 

QUESTION.  Could  I  use  the  formula  of  one-half 
fluid  ounce  of  formaldehyde  to  a  pint  of  water  for 
preserving  pork  rind  the  same  as  minnows?  —  J. 
E.  H. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  231 

ANSWER.     Yes;  this  is  a  good  formula  for  pork 
rind  as  well  as  minnows. 


QUESTION.  In  your  answer  to  G.  B.  K.  last  week 
in  reference  to  bait  casting  you  say,  "  Let  them  have 
the  line  after  they  strike,  and  wait  until  they  stop 
before  striking."  While  such  an  authority  as  Jim 
Heddon  writes  in  his  "  Hints  on  Bait  Casting  "  to 
"  strike  and  strike  quick  as  soon  as  the  fish  strikes 
the  bait."  How  about  it?  —  T.  L.  K. 

ANSWER.  By  reading  the  query  of  G.  B.  K.  you 
will  find  he  refers  to  live  bait.  If  you  strike  when 
a  bass  or  pike  first  hits  your  live  bait,  all  you'll  have 
for  your  trouble  will  be  a  minnow  torn  in  half  or 
gone  entirely.  You  got  to  let  'em  take  it  on  the  first 
run  and  wait  till  they  stop  to  gorge ;  they  then  turn 
the  bait  around  and  swallow  it  head  first.  That's 
the  time  to  strike.  Jim  Heddon  writes  entirely  in 
his  "  Hints  on  Bait  Casting  "  on  the  casting  of  ar- 
tificial baits,  and  with  these  you  must  strike  at  once 
when  the  fish  strikes.  Under  the  circumstances  we 
are  both  right,  Old  Man. 

QUESTION.  W7ill  you  give  me  formula  for  water- 
proofing a  light  canvas  or  drill  tent?  —  Camper. 

ANSWER.  Take  equal  parts  of  alum  and  sugar- 
of-lead.  A  quart  or  more  of  each  to  several  buckets 
of  tepid  water.  Soak  well  in  above  solution,  turn- 


232      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

ing  often  and  spread  out  to  dry.     This  is  water  and 
fire  proof. 

QUESTION.  How  do  you  use  a  light  to  get  frogs 
at  night?  —  F.  D. 

ANSWER.  Locate  a  frog  pond  or  a  shore  along 
a  stream  and  either  wade  or  back  a  boat  along  the 
shore.  The  frogs  are  generally  on  logs,  windfalls 
or  in  the  shore  weeds  or  grasses,  flash  your  light 
along  these  places  and  you  can  grab  the  frog  before 
he  thinks  of  hopping,  the  light  blinds  them  for  20 
to  40  seconds.  While  getting  the  little  ones  for 
bait,  slip  a  few  big  ones  in  the  bag  for  breakfast. 

QUESTION.  I  have  noticed  many  stoves  ad- 
vocated for  camping  trips,  are  they  useful  and  what 
do  you  know  of  the  Moats  Gasoline  Stoves?  —  C.  K. 

ANSWER.  Stoves  are  O.  K.  for  a  camp  and  for 
the  fellow  who  is  not  much  for  cooking  at  a  camp- 
fire  they  are  a  life  saver.  The  Moats  Gasoline 
Stove  is  without  doubt  the  king  of  camp  stoves,  you 
can  light  it  in  a  thirty-mile  gale  and  it  burns  steadily. 
It  is  very  compact,  folding  up  into  small  space  and 
for  an  all-round  camp  stove  with  baker  the  Moats 
No.  i  Oven  Stove  is  a  dinger.  I  carried  a  No.  i 
on  a  canoe  trip  last  fall  and  it  was  the  handiest  part 
of  the  entire  kit.  It  can  be  set  up  in  a  minute  and 
the  spider  will  be  sizzling  the  next  minute,  without 
any  smoke  in  the  eyes  or  wood  to  rustle.  Carrying 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  233 

a  Moats  may  be  "  agin  "  some  of  the  ethics  of  the 
fellow  who  wants  to  rough  it,  but  for  mine  I  want 
to  "  smooth  it "  when  I  go  into  the  woods. 

QUESTION.  Have  you  ever  used  a  Grace  Con- 
vertible Tent,  if  so  what  do  you  think  of  it  for  a 
party  of  two  on  a  hike  and  fishing  trip?  —  Camper. 

ANSWER.  The  Grace  Tent  is  a  tent  that  will 
stand  the  gaff,  it  weighs  8  pounds  and  is  made  of 
o-d  waterproof  drill  and  is  equipped  with  insect 
proof  ventilators.  This  tent  was  designed  and  in- 
vented by  Dr.  Grace  after  twenty-five  years  outdoor 
and  military  experience.  Two  can  sleep  well  in  it 
and  at  a  pinch  four  can  sleep  in  it.  It  is  a  good 
winter  tent  as  well  as  summer,  so  arranged  that  the 
end  can  be  taken  off  and  a  campfire  built  close  up  as 
it  needs  no  guy  ropes.  It  can  be  divided  into  a  pack 
sack  or  used  as  a  sleeping  bag.  As  an  all-round 
good  tent  that  will  stand  up  under  hard  usage  and 
make  good  the  Grace  tent  is  a  sure  enough  snug 
harbor. 

QUESTION.  How  can  I  pickle  and  seal  pork  rind 
in  July  so  it  will  be  good  to  use  through  August  and 
September?  Do  you  consider  it  good  bait  for 
pickerel?  —  ?.  H.  I. 

ANSWER.  Take  an  old  tin  box  and  put  a  layer 
of  salt  in  the  bottom,  roll  your  pork  rind  in  salt  and 
pack  it  in  on  top  of  the  salt  in  the  bottom  of  box. 
Sprinkle  a  little  salt  over  it,  put  in  the  rest  of  your 


234      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

rind,  covering  the  entire  amount  with  salt,  and  your 
bait  will  keep  indefinitely.  (2)  Pork  rind  on  a 
weedless  hook  with  'a  No.  3  spoon  or  tandem  spin- 
ner makes  a  fine  pickerel  bait.  Tie  red  yarn  around 
the  head  and  let  the  string  ends  hang  down  about 
as  long  as  the  rind.  Some  bait. 

QUESTION.  What  is  the  Warmouth  bass?  — 
G.  M. 

ANSWER.  The  Warmouth  bass,  called  by  some 
the  google-eye  redeye,  and  bream,  is  really  a  sunfish 
shaped  very  much  like  the  rock  bass.  Grows  to  ten 
inches  and  prefers  shallow  ponds  and  lowland  slug- 
gish streams,  not  very  game  and  generally  carries 
the  flavor  of  the  mud  bottoms  when  used  as  food. 

QUESTION.  To  settle  a  dispute  can  you  tell  me 
the  surest  way  to  identify  the  pickerel,  pike  and 
musky?  —  G.  S. 

ANSWER.  By  comparison  you  will  find  the  pick- 
erel has  both  cheeks  and  gill  covers  entirely  scaled; 
the  pike  has  scales  on  the  cheeks  and  upper  half  only 
of  the  gill  covers,  while  the  musky  has  only  the 
upper  half  of  the  cheeks  and  gill  covers  scaled. 
Many  true  pike  are  called  pickerel. 

QUESTION.  Will  you  kindly  give  a  formula  for 
preserving  minnows?  —  F.  J.  D. 

ANSWER.     For  preserving  minnows  make  a  solu- 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  235 

tion  of  a  half  fluid  ounce  of  formaldehyde  to  a  pint 
of  water.     Put  them  in  an  airtight  jar. 

QUESTION.  What  length  and  width  canoe  would 
you  advise  for  a  three  weeks1  trip  in  Canadian 
waters,  with  rapids  in  rivers  and  some  lakes  and 
quite  a  few  portages?  —  C.  M.  S. 

ANSWER.  I  suggest  a  straight-keeled  canoe  with 
a  good  tumble-home  in  which  the  width  and  flat 
floor  are  carried  well  into  the  bow  and  stern.  This 
increases  carrying  capacity  and  buoyancy,  adding  to 
the  seaworthiness  for  the  crossing  of  lakes.  Get  a 
i6-footer  13  to  14  inches  deep  and  30  to  36  inches 
wide,  weight  about  70  pounds.  The  Thompson 
canoe  is  a  good  rough-water  worker  on  lakes  and 
white  water  in  rivers. 

QUESTION.  For  lake  fishing  do  you  prefer  a 
landing  net  or  gaff?  —  D.  K.  M. 

ANSWER.  I  use  a  gaff  at  all  times,  except  fly 
casting,  when  a  landing  net  is  a  necessity.  I  use  a 
Marbles  clincher  gaff  on  most  fish. 

L.  M. —  To  preserve  a  landing  net,  soak  it  in 
linseed  oil,  shake  out  all  excess  oil,  stretch  the  net 
and  dry  it  thoroughly.  This  will  add  to  its  life. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  GRAN'DADDY  BASS 

When  de  leetle  buds  are  swellin'  from  de  saps  dat 

fill  de  tree, 
An'  de  Canuck  goose  ees  honkin'  from  de  balmy 

southern  sea; 
When   de   chinnooks   heet   de   woodland    from    de 

passes  on  de  coast, 
An'  I  sell  de  bonny  fur-pelt  to  de   Factor  at  de 

Post; 
Oh,  I  knaw  de  tam  ees  comin' — when  I  get  dat 

funnee  feel  — 
To  untangle  lines  an'  feesh-hooks  from  de  tackle  an' 

de  reel. 

When  de  winter  she  ees  sentenc*  to  de  Nort'  where 

she  belong, 
An'  de  woods  are  rainbow  color  an'  de  matin'  call 

ees  strong; 
Eet  ees  den  I  packs  de  snaw-shoe,  rolls  de  log-chain 

in  a  ball 
To  de  chanson  half-breeds  w'isle  as  dey  mush  to 

Montreal. 
Give  me  den  de  rod  an'  feesh-line,  let  me  patch  de 

birch  canoe  — 

Sacre  Bleu! 
236 


The  call  of  the  water  trails  brings  us  close  to  old  Mother  Nature  and 
the  wonders  over  which  she  holds  sway.  The  whispering  winds  through 
the  tall  pines  ;  the  call  of  the  loon  off  the  stilled  waters  ;  the  saucy  defiant 
chirp  of  the  red  squirrel,  all  awaken  an  answering  chord  within  the  keen 
fellows  who  go  forth  to  conquer.  I  can  find  just  as  much  enjoyment  in 
manipulating  the  spider,  coffee  pot  and  stew-pan  over  the  evening  campfire 
as  I  can  in  watching  the  game  fins  making  their  fight  for  freedom — 'but 
'I  pleasure  comes  when  one  tries  to  convince  his  "pals"  of  the  ex- 
traordinary size  of  the  fish  that  got  away. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  GRAN'DADDY        237 

Dere's  a  small-mout'  bass  I've  feeshed  for,  seence 
de  Spring  of  Ninety-two! 


In  de  shallows  I  hav  foun'  heem,  where  de  win'-falls 

spot  de  lac, 
In  de  rock-beds  an'  de  peebles  I  have  seen  hes  ebon 

back; 
I  hav  coax  heem  wid  de  pork-rind,  wooden  plug  an' 

buck-tail  spoon 
But  he  seem  to  keep  as  distant  as  de  crazy  diving 

loon. 
He's  de  Gran'pap  of  de  Small-mout's  from  away 

before  de  war  — 
He's  de  same  ol'  bass  dat's  fool  me  many  t'ousan' 

tarns  before! 

Oh,  de  hair  upon  my  forehead,  she  ees  gettin'  silver 

grey, 
While  de  han'  she  sometam  tremble  in  a  warnin' 

kin'  of  way. 
Den  I  knaw,  by  Gar,  I'm  trailin'  to  de  limit  of  my 

boun's 
An'  a  step  will  tak  me  ovair  to  de  Happy  Huntin' 

Groun's, 
Where  I'll  trap  de  same  ol'  mush-rat;  sell  de  fur 

for  what  she's  wort' 
Cas'  de  same  ol'  line  an'  feesh-hooks  dat  I  did  down 

here  on  Eart' 


238      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

An'  I'll  start  de  struggle  ovair  in  de  same  lac  an' 
canoe; 

Sacre  Bleu! 

Wid  de  same  ol'  Bass  I've  feeshed  for  seence  de 
Spring  of  Ninety-two ! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


THE  RAGGED  LAND 

Were  you  ever  marooned  in  the  Ragged  Land  far 

out  from  the  frontier  lines, 
Where  the  wild  wind  sweeps  from  the  Arctic  Pole 

and  soughs  through  the  Norway  pines? 
Have  you  watched  the  sky  in  a  blue-bowled  night 

as  you  lay  on  the  close-packed  sod 
And  a  star  fell  down  from  its  place  up  there  like  a 

match  from  the  hand  of  God? 
Have  you  heard  the  jeer  of  an  idiot  loon  in  a  land 

of  unearthly  quiet, 
With  the  grub-pack  down  to  a  can  of  milk  and  the 

prospect  of  cones  for  diet? 
Has  your  soul  been  bared  to  the  naked  wind  in  the 

midst  of  a  trackless  wild  — 
To  the  naked  wind  of  the  Ragged  Land  —  like  the 

soul  of  an  artless  child? 
Have  you  dreamed  again  in  your  office  chair  of  a 

trail  that  you  left  behind; 
Of  a  song  that  the  pine  trees  softly  sing  at  the  end 

of  a  long  day's  grind; 
Of  the  restful  peace  of  primeval  years  in  the  hush 

of  the  balsam  air, 
And  a  sun  that  crimsons  the  chopped-up  edge  of  the 

tumbled  mountains  there? 
239 


24o      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

In  the  canyoned  murk  of  the  city  walls,   with  its 

masonry  heaven-piled, 
Have  you  felt,  with  a  bitter  yearning,  the  breath  of 

the  utter  wild  ? 
Do  you  curse  the  laws  of  a  man-made  life  and  the 

things  that  those  laws  demand, 
As  you  dream  of  a  life  that  once  was  yours  on  the 

trails  of  the  Ragged  Land? 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


THE  WILDERNESS  LURE 

O  whence  the  voice  that  lures  me  on  to  little  lakes 
I  know, 

Where  flapping  teal  fly  up  at  dawn  and  fringing 
balsams  grow, 

Where  forests  rule  the  lonely  land,  unmarked,  un- 
tamed, unmarred, 

And  sentry-like  the  Norways  stand  majestic,  silent 
guard? 

A  voice  that  brings  the  frighted  hush  of  deer  among 

the  pine, 
Aad  whispers  of  the  whip-like  rush  of  bass  upon 

*   the  line. 
The  Call  is  strong  and  once  again  I  finger  gun  and 

rod 
And  dream  of  covers  where  I've  lain  and  trails  that 

once  I  trod. 


You've  heard  the  Call  the  Red  Gods  send  on  all  the 

winds  that  blow; 
You've  felt  the  lure,  O  Pal  and  Friend,  that  comes 

to  those  who  know. 

241 


242      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

Come,  answer  it,  as  I  have  done  among  the  lakes 

and  vales; 
Come,   answer  it,  with  rod  and  gun,   O   Comrade 

of  the  Trails! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


THE  SAME  OLD  STORY 

Ahga  the  caveman,  a  cripple,  tinkered  in  flint  and 

stone ; 
Painted  the   walls   and  the   granite,    gravened  the 

great  moose-bone; 
Made   he   the    stone-age   language,    gave   men   the 

tongue  they  spoke  — 
Wisely  ruled  Ahga,  the  cripple,  the  man  that  the 

Rock-Gods  broke. 

Once  in  a  hungry  moment  gazed  he  far  off  to  the 

lake 
And  clutching  a  morsel  of  mammoth,   Ahga,   the 

cripple,  spake: 
"Living  things  roam  in  the  waters!     Why?"  and 

he  gazed  again: 
"  Each  of  them  eateth  the  other  —  good  they  must 

be  for  men." 

Fashioned  he  bone  in  his  cunning;  best  of  his  store 
he  took; 

Plucked  he  from  sharp  rock  and  branches  horse- 
hairs to  string  his  hook 

Baited    it    wisely    with    liver  —  spoke    to    hungry 
throng : 

243 


244      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

"  Follow  me  not,  Neolithics,  I  come  with  the  kill 
ere-long!  " 

Great  was  the  day  for  Ahga,  great  the  renown  he 

gained; 
Fish  by  the  bushel  he  brought  them,  still  was  his 

strong  heart  pained. 
"  Ahga!  "  the  Cavemen  shouted,  "  why  do  you  sulk 

to-day  ?" 
And  Ahga,  the  cripple,  answered :      '  The  biggest 

one  got  away!  " 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


FISHING  AT  NIGHT 

Like  fairy  cakes,  the  silver  pine 

Stand  out  against  the  moon 
And  eery-voiced,  the  dim  shore  line 

Gives  answer  to  the  loon. 
A  flashing  fish  breaks  through 

The  inky  sheet  we  glide  — 
A  rod,  a  reel,  a  birch  canoe 

And  I  am  satisfied. 

Assassin  night  doth  rule  the  sky 

The  Heavens  gleam  no  more, 
Yet  still  the  gloom  is  penciled  by 

The  golden  fire  on  shore. 
Deep  hours  must  pass  —  till  birth  anew 

Gives  dawn  a  fading  bride  — 
A  rod,  a  reel,  a  birch  canoe 

And  I  am  satisfied. 

It  seems  as  though,  above,  there  might 
Be  gathered  whisp'ring  souls 

To  see,  unseen,  in  pulsing  night 
Their  one-time  fishing  holes  — 
245 


246      LAKE  AND  STREAM  GAME  FISHING 

Enough !     The  Strike !     My  waited  cue ; 

And  quietly  we  ride  — 
A  rod,  a  reel,  a  birch  canoe 

And  I  am  satisfied. 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


RUBAIYAT  OF  A  FISHERMAN 


Life's  a  pond  with  wriggling  humans  filled, 
Each  doomed  to  follow  on  the  way  that's  willed. 
The  Fates  cast  out  the  lure  and  angle  for 
The  young  and  old,  the  learned  and  unskilled. 

II 

I  fling  this  little  perch  that  mulled  the  needled  hook 
Back  in  the  lake  to  seek  some  quiet  windfall  nook; 
So  do  the  Fates  when  Hope,  perchance,  has  fled 
Fling  back  to  those  who  wait,  a  soul  they  took. 

ill 

As  do  the  gobbling  sunfish  herd  round  the  angle- 
worm 

So  do  we  mortals,  for  wealth  and  high  position, 
squirm. 

Turn  on  the  light,  let's  see  him  at  his  worst, 

What  boots  it  —  fish  or  man  —  each  one's  a  germ. 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


247 


RAIN 

Thunder  rolling  softly, 
Thunder  once  again; 

Then  it  comes  a-dripping 
Comes  the  gentle  rain! 

Rain! 

Rain  in  the  coffee! 
Rain  in  the  jeans! 
Rain  in  the  sugar! 
Rain  in  the  beans! 

Rain!     Rain!     Rain! 

Through  the  pines  and  birches 
Faster  than  before 

Still  it  comes  a-ripping 
'Till  it  makes  you  sore ! 

Rain! 

Rain  in  the  elbows! 
Rain  in  the  knees ! 
Morning  and  evening! 
Rain  when  you  please ! 

Rain!     Rain!     Rain! 

Sloppy,  sodden,  soaking, 
Life  is  full  of  pain  — 
248 


RAIN  249 

What's  the  use  of  camping 
In  the  soggy  rain? 

Rain! 

Rain  in  the  bedding! 
Blankets  and  all! 
Rain  in  the  bacon! 
Rain!  — Rain!  — That's  all! 
Rain!     Rain!     Rain! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


FALL  FISHING 

Before  the  bracing  wind  that  chafes  the  lake 
The  deadened,  swaying  birches  bend  and  break. 

Alone  I  man  my  boat  and  briskly  go 
To  quiet  bays  that  now  the  guides  forsake, 

And  marvel  at  the  splendors  as  I  row. 
Above  me,  honking  squadrons  southward  fly 
And  autumn  flaunts  her  plumage  to  the  sky; 

The  trees  are  like  hussars  upon  parade 
Ere  yet  the  slothful  summer  passes  by 

And  wafts  a  lazy  kiss  to  him  who  stayed. 

The  forest  creatures  feel  the  coming  test 
And  fill  the  hidden  caches  by  their  nest; 

The  silver  fish  that  flashes  from  his  lair 
Has  sensed  the  changing  season  like  the  rest 

And  fain  would  taste  the  pungent  fighting  air. 
In  such  a  way  no  gamy  things  endure 
I  make  the  cast  and  jerk  the  gaudy  lure, 

'Till  comes  the  sudden  swish  —  the  lashing  sign 
That  tells  me  something's  struck  it,  swift  and  sure  - 

A  frenzied  water  wild-cat  on  the  line ! 

Ye  men  who  crave  the  whip-like  rush  and  feel 
Of  mighty  fish  that  spin  the  humming  reel, 

250 


FALL  FISHING  251 

Go  not  when  sun-hot  idle  lakes  are  fanned 
By  soothing  winds  that  from  the  tropics  steal 

To  drowse  the  sharpened  senses  of  the  land; 
Go  not,  ye  patient  Waltons,  'til  the  day 
That  autumn  mints  the  leaves  her  brilliant  way; 

'Til  first  ye  see  the  grim  white  Artist,  North, 
Has  flicked  his  fingers  on  the  things  that  stay  — 

And  then,  my  fellow-angler,  go  ye  forth ! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  WILD 

When,  like  grimy  dragons  crawling,  comes  the  city's 
darkness  falling 

Do  you  feel  the  trails  a-calling,  do  you  hearken  to 
a  voice  that  brings  a  dream? 

Do  you  hear  the  pine-trees  sighing  when  the  south- 
east winds  are  dying 

And  the  cratered  lakes  are  lying  in  their  turquoise- 
painted  bowls  of  silver  cream? 

As  the  last  mill's  flame  is  leaping  o'er  a  million 
toilers  sleeping, 

Have  you  felt  the  lure  a-creeping  like  a  long  for- 
gotten scrap  of  youthful  sin? 

Do  you  yearn  for  hikes  and  sallies  into  balsam 
scented  valleys, 

Through  the  virgin  wildwood  alleys,  where  the  rod 
and  reel  and  gun  have  never  been? 

Just  to  meet  God's  open  spaces  and  the  cozy  hidden 

places 
Where  the  flashing  trout-stream  races  and  you  never 

need  to  make  a  second  cast. 
252 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  WILD  253 

Just  to  roam  the  forest,  dreaming,  while  the  blue 

sky  up  there's  beaming 
And  the  golden  sun  is  gleaming  as  if  every  ray  of 

lightness  were  the  last. 

Do  you  feel  your  slow  pulse  dancing  when  the  spring- 
time comes,  enhancing 

The  virile  and  free  romancing  of  the  voices  that  the 
foursome  earth-winds  blow? 

Oh,  you  never  will  outgrow  it,  for  your  dreaming 
glances  show  it, 

And  they've  got  you,  Pal,  I  know  it,  so  you'd  better 
pack  the  duffle-bag  and  go ! 

—  Albert  Jay  Cook. 


THE    END 


